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

Word bank: bear · row · racket · rule · degree · pit · tube · mine

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. degree — temperature
  3. row — to paddle
  4. degree — an amount
  5. rule — government
  6. bear — the animal
  7. degree — from a university
  8. rule — a law
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — for digging
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. pit — a hole
  19. tube — a container
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. pit — in a race
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bear — the animal
  24. rule — to rule out

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