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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. degree — from a university
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. saw — the tool
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bank — for money
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. degree — an amount
  12. lie — to recline
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. object — an aim
  15. drill — the tool
  16. fork — in a road
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bank — for money
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bank — of a river
  22. drill — army training
  23. object — to protest
  24. object — a thing

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