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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. tube — the underground
  4. present — the time now
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — a partner
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. degree — temperature
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. tube — a container
  11. pit — a hole
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. game — wild animals
  14. mate — to breed
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. pit — in a race
  18. game — a match
  19. degree — from a university
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. present — there
  24. present — a gift

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