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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. suit — in cards
  3. suit — to fit
  4. file — a document
  5. bank — for money
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. file — a tool
  8. scale — in music
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — of a river
  11. scale — size or range
  12. suit — clothes
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. kid — child
  15. degree — temperature
  16. tube — a container
  17. file — a line of people
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. tube — the underground
  20. rush — hurry
  21. degree — an amount
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. degree — from a university

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