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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. tube — a container
  5. kick — in football
  6. tube — the underground
  7. stand — to bear
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. degree — from a university
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. degree — temperature
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. bank — of a river
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. chip — for betting
  17. bank — for money
  18. chip — to eat
  19. bank — for money
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. chip — in a computer

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