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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'll be taking the ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. tube — the underground
  3. pop — soda
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bass — low music
  6. degree — temperature
  7. ball — a great time
  8. mate — a friend
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. mate — a partner
  11. pop — music
  12. mug — a face
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. mug — to rob
  15. degree — an amount
  16. mate — to breed
  17. pop — to visit
  18. ball — a dance
  19. board — a committee
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. board — to get on
  22. tube — a container
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — the fish

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