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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. rule — government
  5. rule — a law
  6. pit — in a race
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. kid — child
  9. fine — all right
  10. degree — from a university
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. degree — temperature
  16. fine — high quality
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pit — a hole
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. kid — to tease
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. degree — an amount
  24. straw — dry grass

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