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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bat — the animal
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bank — for money
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — from a university
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bound — tied together
  10. tube — the underground
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bank — of a river
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — a partner
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. degree — temperature
  19. kid — child
  20. bound — obliged
  21. tube — a container
  22. bank — for money
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bat — in an idiom

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