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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. tube — the underground
  3. rock — a stone
  4. ground — crushed
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ball — a great time
  8. tube — a container
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. kick — in football
  12. ground — a position
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. ball — a dance
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. degree — temperature
  20. rock — music
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. degree — from a university

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