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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. track — a song
  3. track — to keep track
  4. mug — a face
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — temperature
  8. track — a path
  9. net — in sport
  10. cap — a hat
  11. chest — of your body
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — the underground
  15. degree — an amount
  16. net — after costs
  17. chest — a box
  18. mug — a cup
  19. craft — a skill
  20. cap — a lid
  21. craft — boats
  22. cap — of ice
  23. mug — to rob
  24. chest — of your 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