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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. hand — in cards
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — a container
  5. fine — high quality
  6. degree — an amount
  7. lean — to bend
  8. can — to be able to
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — size or range
  11. lean — thin
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — help
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. degree — temperature
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — a position
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. degree — from a university
  21. fine — all right
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. can — a tin

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