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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. cue — a signal
  5. season — of the year
  6. tube — the underground
  7. pound — a weight
  8. season — in sport
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — the animal
  11. tube — a container
  12. chip — to eat
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. cue — for pool
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. degree — from a university
  18. can — to be able to
  19. chip — for betting
  20. cue — a hint
  21. can — a tin
  22. degree — temperature
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. can — a tin

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