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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 116 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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. suit — in cards
  3. game — a match
  4. chair — a leader
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. degree — from a university
  7. pop — music
  8. tube — a container
  9. pop — to visit
  10. clip — for paper
  11. suit — to fit
  12. pop — soda
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. tube — the underground
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. degree — an amount
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — a video
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. degree — temperature
  24. chair — a professorship

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