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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — letters
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. plane — a tool
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. degree — an amount
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. spell — a short time
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bore — to tire
  16. content — the amount
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. content — happy
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. tube — the underground

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