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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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468
Word bank
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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. tube — the underground
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. tube — a container
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. object — an aim
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — an amount
  12. object — to protest
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. degree — from a university
  15. ball — a dance
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. mug — to rob
  18. object — a thing
  19. mug — a face
  20. kick — in football
  21. rush — hurry
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. ball — a great time
  24. mouse — for a computer

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