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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — temperature
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rest — a break
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. cap — a lid
  11. game — wild animals
  12. rule — government
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rule — a law
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cap — a hat
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. degree — an amount
  21. rest — what's left
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — a match
  24. fan — a supporter

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