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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bound — certain
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. squash — the sport
  5. mark — a trace
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. mark — a grade
  9. chip — for betting
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. swing — to play on
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — obliged
  19. degree — temperature
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. swing — music
  22. chip — to eat
  23. squash — to crush
  24. chip — in a computer

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