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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 116 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. bound — certain
  4. game — wild animals
  5. degree — temperature
  6. game — a match
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. staff — employees
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bound — tied together
  20. degree — from a university
  21. degree — an amount
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bowl — a football final

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