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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. ball — a dance
  4. last — final
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. tube — the underground
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. degree — an amount
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. last — finally
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. last — to go on
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. tube — a container
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. degree — temperature
  24. nail — on a finger

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