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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. cap — a hat
  3. tube — a container
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. file — a line of people
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. cap — a lid
  10. tube — the underground
  11. rush — hurry
  12. degree — an amount
  13. file — a document
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. branch — a division
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cap — of ice
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. file — a tool
  21. degree — temperature
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. rush — a thrill

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