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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. file — a document
  4. swing — to play on
  5. degree — from a university
  6. roll — a list
  7. file — a tool
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. mug — a face
  10. degree — temperature
  11. craft — boats
  12. mug — a cup
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. file — a line of people
  15. degree — an amount
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. mug — to rob
  18. craft — a skill
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. object — an aim
  21. object — a thing
  22. swing — music
  23. roll — a cake
  24. swing — in golf

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com