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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — an amount
  3. roll — a list
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bass — low music
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. tube — the underground
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. charge — a price
  12. charge — electricity
  13. charge — in control
  14. bass — the fish
  15. tube — a container
  16. degree — temperature
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. cue — for pool
  19. dip — to sink
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — a signal
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bore — to drill
  24. roll — on a 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