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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. clip — for paper
  4. staff — employees
  5. degree — from a university
  6. roll — a list
  7. object — a thing
  8. tube — a container
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. tube — the underground
  11. object — to protest
  12. staff — employees
  13. clip — a video
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. clip — to cut
  18. object — an aim
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. roll — a cake
  21. degree — temperature
  22. staff — a stick
  23. degree — an amount
  24. stand — to bear

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