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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  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 — to be able to
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. file — a line of people
  5. prune — to trim
  6. tube — the underground
  7. file — a document
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — goods
  10. can — a tin
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. file — a tool
  14. staff — employees
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. degree — an amount
  17. tube — a container
  18. prune — to trim
  19. staff — employees
  20. stock — shares
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. tube — in a tire
  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