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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. suit — to fit
  3. degree — an amount
  4. hand — in cards
  5. tube — the underground
  6. suit — in cards
  7. rock — a stone
  8. staff — employees
  9. degree — from a university
  10. tear — from crying
  11. rock — music
  12. staff — a stick
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. suit — clothes
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. degree — temperature
  17. tube — a container
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. staff — employees
  20. tear — to rip
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. cabinet — ministers

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