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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. kick — in football
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. tube — a container
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the fish
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. degree — from a university
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. pop — music
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. pop — to visit
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. tube — the underground
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. pop — soda
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. degree — temperature
  24. safe — out of danger

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