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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. degree — from a university
  3. tube — the underground
  4. swing — in golf
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pass — a permit
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. tube — a container
  11. bear — the animal
  12. rash — a series
  13. rest — a break
  14. degree — an amount
  15. swing — music
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. degree — temperature
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. rash — hasty
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. swing — to play on

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