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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. chair — a leader
  3. degree — temperature
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. race — the arms race
  9. degree — an amount
  10. spell — letters
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. degree — from a university
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. race — a contest
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — magic
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. tube — the underground
  20. race — humankind
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pound — a weight
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. tube — in a tire

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