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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. file — a line of people
  3. can — a tin
  4. craft — boats
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. tube — the underground
  7. degree — an amount
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. file — a tool
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. content — happy
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bass — the fish
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. content — the amount
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. bass — low music
  18. file — a document
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — a container
  21. can — a tin
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. craft — a skill
  24. can — to be able to

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