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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 116 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wake — a trail
  4. staff — employees
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bat — the animal
  8. degree — an amount
  9. staff — a stick
  10. degree — from a university
  11. staff — employees
  12. tube — a container
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. tube — the underground
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. degree — temperature
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — of ice
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. cap — a hat
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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