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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. spell — letters
  4. roll — a list
  5. object — a thing
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — temperature
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. object — to protest
  12. tube — a container
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — magic
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. stand — to bear
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. degree — from a university
  19. roll — a cake
  20. object — an aim
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — a phone
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — in a tire

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