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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 124 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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. degree — an amount
  5. ball — a dance
  6. degree — temperature
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. spring — of water
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. land — to come down
  11. object — an aim
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. tube — the underground
  14. land — ground
  15. spring — the season
  16. object — a thing
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. spring — a coil
  20. lie — to recline
  21. land — a country
  22. object — to protest
  23. tube — a container
  24. ball — a great time

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