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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 116 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: craft · field · nail · game · bowl · degree · current · lie

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. game — wild animals
  4. field — a subject
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. craft — boats
  7. game — a match
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. craft — a skill
  11. lie — to recline
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. degree — from a university
  17. current — of water
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. current — electric
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. degree — an amount
  24. current — happening now

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