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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. rest — what's left
  3. degree — an amount
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. track — to keep track
  8. content — the amount
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. content — happy
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. degree — temperature
  13. tube — the underground
  14. degree — from a university
  15. hand — help
  16. track — a song
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. track — a path
  19. tube — a container
  20. bass — low music
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. hand — in cards
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bass — the fish

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