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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 120 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. drill — the tool
  4. pass — a permit
  5. foot — a measure
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. craft — a skill
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. craft — boats
  11. degree — temperature
  12. drill — a practice
  13. tube — a container
  14. field — farmland
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — a subject
  19. tube — the underground
  20. stand — to bear
  21. degree — from a university
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. drill — army training
  24. foot — part of the body

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