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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. pop — to visit
  4. field — farmland
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. tube — the underground
  7. field — for sport
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. field — a subject
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. pop — soda
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — temperature
  17. kick — in football
  18. degree — from a university
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. tube — a container
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. rush — hurry
  23. pop — music
  24. kick — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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