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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. land — ground
  3. land — to come down
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — for money
  11. tube — a container
  12. chair — a leader
  13. cell — a phone
  14. degree — an amount
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. degree — from a university
  17. cell — in biology
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. bear — the animal
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. land — a country

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