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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — an amount
  4. mark — a trace
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. degree — from a university
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — a match
  12. tube — the underground
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — to drop
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. game — wild animals
  17. tube — a container
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. stand — to bear
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. fall — the season

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