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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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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: drill · suit · bat · content · chip · stick · tube · degree

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. content — the amount
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. suit — to fit
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. degree — from a university
  11. drill — army training
  12. suit — in cards
  13. suit — clothes
  14. chip — to eat
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bat — the animal
  17. drill — the tool
  18. chip — for betting
  19. degree — temperature
  20. tube — the underground
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. tube — a container
  23. degree — an amount
  24. content — happy

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