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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. degree — an amount
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — music
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. tube — the underground
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. degree — from a university
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. swing — in golf
  17. face — part of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. degree — temperature
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. face — to point toward
  23. wake — a trail
  24. face — to confront

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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