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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 124 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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — a container
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — the most important part
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. kick — in football
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. degree — temperature
  14. shower — to wash
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. degree — an amount
  17. capital — money
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. key — in music
  20. degree — from a university
  21. shower — rain
  22. tube — the underground
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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