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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. pit — in a race
  3. degree — from a university
  4. lean — to bend
  5. degree — an amount
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bass — the fish
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — a container
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. lean — thin
  13. wind — moving air
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. tube — the underground
  16. mine — for digging
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. rest — what's left
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bass — low music
  21. pit — a hole
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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