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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. tube — a container
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bat — the animal
  6. last — to go on
  7. tube — the underground
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bank — for money
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. mate — to breed
  14. last — finally
  15. bank — for money
  16. last — final
  17. degree — an amount
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. bank — of a river
  20. deal — to handle
  21. mate — a friend
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. mate — a partner
  24. degree — temperature

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