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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bulb — for light
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. kid — to tease
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. degree — from a university
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. degree — temperature
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. pound — a weight
  24. kid — child

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