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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: shower · tube · degree · bat · pit · deal · saw · bass

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. degree — temperature
  3. shower — rain
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. pit — a hole
  7. degree — from a university
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. deal — to handle
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bat — the animal
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bass — low music
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. deal — a big deal

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