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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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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: drill · roll · swing · degree · press · bowl · race · fan

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. degree — from a university
  3. roll — a list
  4. race — humankind
  5. drill — the tool
  6. press — newspapers
  7. race — a contest
  8. press — to push
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. degree — temperature
  12. swing — in golf
  13. press — a publisher
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. roll — a cake
  16. swing — music
  17. degree — an amount
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — a practice
  24. race — the arms race

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