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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.

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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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. leaves — lets stay
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. tube — the underground
  7. kid — child
  8. current — of water
  9. squash — the sport
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. degree — an amount
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. current — happening now
  14. dip — to sink
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. current — electric
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. squash — to crush
  21. degree — temperature
  22. kid — to tease
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. tube — a container

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