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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · degree · mouse · pop · bowl · suit · season · spell

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. season — in sport
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. degree — from a university
  6. rock — music
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. rock — a stone
  9. suit — clothes
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. spell — a short time
  12. suit — in cards
  13. degree — an amount
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. pop — to visit
  16. suit — to fit
  17. spell — magic
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. degree — temperature
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — music
  23. season — of the year
  24. bowl — to roll

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