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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. degree — temperature
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. track — to keep track
  6. degree — from a university
  7. track — a song
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rule — a law
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. tube — the underground
  12. drill — army training
  13. pass — a permit
  14. drill — a practice
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. net — in sport
  17. drill — the tool
  18. degree — an amount
  19. tube — a container
  20. track — a path
  21. bear — the animal
  22. net — for catching
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. rule — government

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