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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: degree · toast · bowl · roll · fork · chest · stick · current

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. current — of water
  3. chest — of your body
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. chest — of your body
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. current — happening now
  11. roll — a list
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. degree — temperature
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. degree — an amount
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. current — electric
  22. toast — bread
  23. fork — in a road
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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