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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. pit — a hole
  5. key — for a lock
  6. degree — from a university
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. pit — in a race
  9. degree — an amount
  10. key — in music
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. rash — a series
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. fine — high quality
  15. rash — hasty
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. degree — temperature
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. fine — all right
  20. tube — the underground
  21. key — the most important part
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. deal — to handle

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