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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. spell — a short time
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. season — of the year
  7. current — electric
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. spell — magic
  10. mine — for digging
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. spell — letters
  14. degree — an amount
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. degree — temperature
  17. pass — a permit
  18. current — of water
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. current — happening now
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. degree — from a university

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