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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 116 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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. mug — to rob
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. game — a match
  7. tube — the underground
  8. press — to push
  9. press — a publisher
  10. tube — a container
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. game — wild animals
  13. mug — a cup
  14. degree — an amount
  15. mug — a face
  16. press — newspapers
  17. dip — to sink
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — from a university
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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