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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  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. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — a container
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. degree — an amount
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. tube — the underground
  10. wake — a trail
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — low music
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — in sport
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — hurry
  21. net — after costs
  22. degree — from a university
  23. safe — out of danger
  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