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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. last — finally
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. pop — music
  5. dip — to sink
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. degree — temperature
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. pop — to visit
  11. degree — from a university
  12. scale — in music
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. mark — a grade
  17. chip — for betting
  18. mark — a trace
  19. tube — a container
  20. chip — to eat
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — final
  23. scale — size or range
  24. degree — an amount

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