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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. tube — a container
  3. bear — the animal
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. degree — temperature
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. degree — from a university
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. tube — the underground
  14. fork — in a road
  15. file — a tool
  16. mate — to breed
  17. file — a line of people
  18. mate — a partner
  19. degree — an amount
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. file — a document
  24. bear — the animal

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