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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. lean — to bend
  4. club — a group
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. degree — from a university
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. degree — an amount
  10. track — a song
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — the underground
  14. track — a path
  15. track — to keep track
  16. club — for golf
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. cap — of ice
  19. lean — thin
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. club — for dancing
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. cap — a lid
  24. degree — temperature

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