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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — a container
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. pop — soda
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. tube — the underground
  10. track — a path
  11. vault — a safe
  12. pop — music
  13. degree — from a university
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. track — a song
  20. kick — in football
  21. degree — temperature
  22. pop — to visit
  23. degree — an amount
  24. kick — with a leg

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