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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 120 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: bowl · prune · degree · hide · kick · pitcher · current · track

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. current — of water
  6. current — electric
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. prune — to trim
  10. degree — an amount
  11. current — happening now
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. track — a path
  16. track — a song
  17. prune — to trim
  18. track — to keep track
  19. kick — in football
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pitcher — a jug

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