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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. degree — from a university
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. tube — the underground
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. pit — a hole
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. key — for a lock
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. key — in music
  12. stand — to bear
  13. degree — an amount
  14. tube — a container
  15. content — happy
  16. fall — to drop
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. content — the amount
  19. rush — hurry
  20. fall — the season
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. key — the most important part
  23. degree — temperature
  24. fall — to drop

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