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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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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. can — to be able to
  7. game — a match
  8. degree — an amount
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. degree — temperature
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. can — a tin
  13. rush — hurry
  14. mine — for digging
  15. tube — a container
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. can — a tin
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. degree — from a university

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