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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 116 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. season — of the year
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. season — in sport
  6. rash — a series
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. net — for catching
  9. fall — the season
  10. tube — a container
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — after costs
  13. fall — to drop
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. mark — a trace
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. tube — the underground
  18. fall — to drop
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — from a university
  22. mark — a grade
  23. degree — temperature
  24. rash — hasty

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