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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. craft — boats
  4. degree — from a university
  5. craft — a skill
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. kid — to tease
  8. rush — hurry
  9. present — there
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. kid — child
  12. key — for a lock
  13. degree — an amount
  14. key — in music
  15. present — the time now
  16. key — the most important part
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. degree — temperature
  20. present — a gift
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — a container

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