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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rest — what's left
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pop — to visit
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. rest — a break
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — music
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — for sport
  15. suit — to fit
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — a container
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. court — of law
  20. suit — in cards
  21. degree — an amount
  22. suit — clothes
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. degree — temperature

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