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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. deal — to handle
  3. degree — from a university
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. drill — the tool
  6. tube — a container
  7. drill — army training
  8. degree — temperature
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. current — electric
  14. tube — the underground
  15. current — happening now
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. drill — a practice
  19. current — of water
  20. pop — soda
  21. pound — a weight
  22. season — in sport
  23. pop — music
  24. season — of the year

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