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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.

Make a worksheet

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: degree · rush · mine · bowl · roll · chest · craft · present

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. roll — a cake
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. mine — for digging
  6. chest — of your body
  7. craft — boats
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. craft — a skill
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. present — a gift
  17. rush — hurry
  18. present — there
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. present — the time now
  23. roll — a list
  24. degree — temperature

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