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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. degree — an amount
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. season — of the year
  6. pit — in a race
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. can — to be able to
  10. spring — the season
  11. degree — from a university
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. can — a tin
  14. spring — a coil
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to click
  18. can — a tin
  19. tube — the underground
  20. spring — of water
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. season — in sport
  23. pit — a hole
  24. degree — temperature

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