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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. prune — to trim
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — an amount
  7. tube — a container
  8. season — of the year
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. mate — a friend
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. degree — from a university
  13. season — in sport
  14. game — a match
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mate — a partner
  17. tube — the underground
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. mate — to breed
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. lash — to lash out

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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