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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
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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: sharp · bowl · degree · ball · rush · land · spell · fork

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. spell — letters
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. ball — a dance
  10. degree — temperature
  11. land — ground
  12. degree — an amount
  13. rush — hurry
  14. land — a country
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. spell — magic
  18. fork — in a road
  19. land — to come down
  20. spell — a short time
  21. degree — from a university
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. ball — a great time
  24. bowl — to roll

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