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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. degree — from a university
  3. land — a country
  4. land — to come down
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bound — tied together
  7. can — a tin
  8. tube — the underground
  9. ball — a great time
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — the most important part
  13. land — ground
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. degree — an amount
  16. can — a tin
  17. row — to paddle
  18. key — in music
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bound — obliged
  22. row — a line
  23. bound — certain
  24. ball — a dance

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