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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 120 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. degree — from a university
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. degree — an amount
  8. perch — the fish
  9. degree — temperature
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. rock — a stone
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a music group
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. game — wild animals
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. rock — music
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. game — a match

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