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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: degree · row · cabinet · game · race · current · bowl · rock

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. current — electric
  3. rock — music
  4. degree — from a university
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. race — a contest
  8. current — happening now
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. degree — temperature
  11. game — a match
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a line
  14. race — humankind
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. game — wild animals
  17. rock — a stone
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. degree — an amount
  21. current — of water
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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