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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. pit — in a race
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. tube — a container
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bear — the animal
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. pit — a hole
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. tube — the underground
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. face — to point toward
  17. degree — an amount
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. face — to confront
  21. stand — to bear
  22. degree — from a university
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bear — the animal

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