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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — from a university
  3. court — of a king
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. court — for sport
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. present — the time now
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. present — a gift
  11. court — of law
  12. present — there
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — a container
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. degree — temperature
  24. jam — a tight spot

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