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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. rash — a series
  5. tube — the underground
  6. mine — for digging
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. key — the most important part
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. tube — a container
  15. key — for a lock
  16. key — in music
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bulb — for light
  19. suit — to fit
  20. rash — hasty
  21. suit — clothes
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bulb — for light
  24. suit — in cards

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