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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 120 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. ball — a great time
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. kid — child
  18. degree — from a university
  19. tube — the underground
  20. foot — a measure
  21. degree — temperature
  22. kid — to tease
  23. ball — a dance
  24. degree — an amount

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