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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: press · bat · degree · bore · last · bowl · row · current

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. current — electric
  5. last — final
  6. current — happening now
  7. bat — the animal
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — to paddle
  12. press — newspapers
  13. degree — from a university
  14. press — a publisher
  15. bore — to tire
  16. current — of water
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bore — to drill
  20. press — to push
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. last — finally
  24. last — to go on

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