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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. face — to point toward
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. face — to confront
  5. present — there
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. present — a gift
  8. cap — a hat
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. face — part of the head
  11. degree — from a university
  12. hand — help
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. hand — in cards
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cap — of ice
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cap — a lid
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — temperature

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