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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — hurry
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cold — not warm
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bound — obliged
  10. pop — to visit
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. pop — music
  13. cold — an illness
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. pop — soda
  18. degree — temperature
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. degree — from a university
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — tied together
  24. degree — an amount

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