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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. fine — high quality
  6. field — a subject
  7. toast — bread
  8. field — farmland
  9. tube — a container
  10. field — for sport
  11. tube — the underground
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. degree — temperature
  14. last — to go on
  15. fine — all right
  16. last — finally
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. degree — an amount
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. degree — from a university
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. toast — a drink to someone

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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