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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. degree — an amount
  4. tube — the underground
  5. degree — from a university
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. cell — a phone
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. cell — in biology
  12. sharp — clever
  13. saw — the tool
  14. tube — a container
  15. cap — a lid
  16. bank — for money
  17. degree — temperature
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bank — of a river
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bank — for money
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. saw — the tool

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