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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. rest — what's left
  4. ball — a great time
  5. fall — to drop
  6. degree — an amount
  7. tube — a container
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. fall — the season
  10. ball — a dance
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. chair — a leader
  18. degree — from a university
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  24. mine — for digging

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