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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 120 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mug — a cup
  3. tube — a container
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — a coil
  12. degree — temperature
  13. charge — in control
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. degree — an amount
  17. tube — the underground
  18. charge — a price
  19. mark — a grade
  20. spring — of water
  21. mug — a face
  22. charge — electricity
  23. mine — for digging
  24. degree — from a university

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