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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — a container
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. snap — to click
  5. field — farmland
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. degree — an amount
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. field — for sport
  10. march — music
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a trace
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. march — the month
  15. degree — temperature
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. mark — a grade
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. degree — from a university
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. toast — bread
  22. field — a subject
  23. march — the month
  24. tube — the underground

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