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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. tube — a container
  3. vault — a safe
  4. stem — to come from
  5. tube — the underground
  6. season — of the year
  7. roll — a list
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. staff — employees
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. degree — from a university
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. degree — an amount
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. degree — temperature
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. roll — a cake

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