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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — from a university
  3. ball — a great time
  4. tube — a container
  5. root — the cause
  6. swing — music
  7. degree — temperature
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. swing — to play on
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — of a plant
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for dancing
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. tube — the underground
  18. ball — a dance
  19. swing — in golf
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. club — for golf

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