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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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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: degree · object · roll · mug · tube · sharp · pop · straw

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. object — to protest
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. object — a thing
  6. pop — soda
  7. tube — a container
  8. mug — a face
  9. mug — to rob
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mug — a cup
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. sharp — clever
  14. pop — music
  15. degree — from a university
  16. roll — a list
  17. degree — an amount
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. object — an aim
  20. degree — temperature
  21. roll — a cake
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. tube — the underground
  24. straw — dry grass

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