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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. pop — music
  4. degree — an amount
  5. pop — soda
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. present — there
  8. wind — moving air
  9. can — a tin
  10. wind — moving air
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. can — to be able to
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. pop — to visit
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. present — the time now
  19. can — a tin
  20. present — a gift
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. degree — temperature
  24. hide — to keep secret

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