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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: craft · degree · racket · bowl · ground · fall · chip · roll

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. roll — a cake
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. chip — for betting
  5. craft — a skill
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. degree — an amount
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. roll — a list
  11. degree — temperature
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. ground — the earth
  17. fall — to drop
  18. craft — boats
  19. chip — to eat
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — a position

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