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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. drill — a practice
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. drill — the tool
  5. degree — from a university
  6. tube — a container
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. degree — temperature
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — completely
  17. drill — army training
  18. tube — the underground
  19. roll — a cake
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. march — the month
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. degree — an amount

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