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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. mug — a face
  3. tube — a container
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. kid — child
  6. firm — decided
  7. degree — from a university
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. firm — a company
  10. degree — an amount
  11. firm — steady
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. mug — a cup
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. ground — a position
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — to tease
  20. degree — temperature
  21. ground — the earth
  22. mug — to rob
  23. tube — the underground
  24. ground — crushed

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