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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. tube — a container
  3. fall — the season
  4. degree — an amount
  5. object — a thing
  6. charge — electricity
  7. court — of law
  8. tube — the underground
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. degree — temperature
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. object — to protest
  15. charge — in control
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. object — an aim
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. degree — from a university
  20. court — of a king
  21. charge — a price
  22. fall — to drop
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. tube — in a tire

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