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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: row · mug · season · degree · bowl · kid · bulb · staff

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. degree — temperature
  5. season — in sport
  6. staff — employees
  7. kid — to tease
  8. season — of the year
  9. bulb — for light
  10. staff — employees
  11. mug — a cup
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. mug — a face
  14. mug — to rob
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. row — a line
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. bulb — for light
  19. row — to paddle
  20. staff — a stick
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — child
  24. bowl — a dish

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