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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. lean — thin
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. tube — the underground
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. chip — for betting
  10. last — finally
  11. lean — to bend
  12. degree — temperature
  13. current — of water
  14. fork — in a road
  15. degree — from a university
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. degree — an amount
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — final
  21. current — electric
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. current — happening now
  24. season — of the year

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