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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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468
Word bank
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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. spring — of water
  4. tube — a container
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. spring — the season
  8. degree — from a university
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. wind — moving air
  11. spring — a coil
  12. track — to keep track
  13. kick — in football
  14. wind — moving air
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. track — a song
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. tube — the underground
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. degree — temperature
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. track — a path
  24. safe — out of danger

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