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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. degree — temperature
  4. stock — goods
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. hand — in cards
  7. chip — for betting
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. chip — to eat
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — a container
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — a permit
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. march — music
  17. hand — help
  18. degree — an amount
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. degree — from a university
  23. stock — shares
  24. pitcher — a jug

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