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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 120 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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  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 — in a tire
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. can — a tin
  5. row — a line
  6. staff — a stick
  7. can — to be able to
  8. tube — a container
  9. rock — a stone
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. can — a tin
  13. swing — music
  14. swing — to play on
  15. tube — the underground
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. degree — from a university
  18. row — to paddle
  19. swing — in golf
  20. rock — music
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. degree — an amount
  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