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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. degree — temperature
  3. capital — a city
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. suit — to fit
  6. tube — the underground
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. capital — money
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. degree — an amount
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. suit — in cards
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. craft — boats
  16. suit — clothes
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. tube — a container
  19. craft — a skill
  20. band — a ring
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. degree — from a university
  24. band — a rubber band

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