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

Word bank: bowl · season · degree · wind · ruler · chair · swing · saw

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  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. ruler — a monarch
  2. saw — the tool
  3. swing — in golf
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. season — in sport
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — an amount
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a leader
  17. swing — to play on
  18. degree — from a university
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. swing — music
  23. bowl — a dish
  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