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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. degree — an amount
  3. rock — music
  4. squash — the sport
  5. craft — boats
  6. degree — from a university
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. mine — for digging
  9. wax — to grow
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. degree — temperature
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. craft — a skill
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. rock — a stone
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. squash — to crush

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