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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 116 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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. degree — temperature
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. degree — an amount
  6. file — a document
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. wake — a trail
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. bass — the fish
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bass — low music
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. degree — from a university
  16. cell — a phone
  17. file — a line of people
  18. cell — in biology
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. tube — the underground
  21. file — a tool
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. bass — the instrument

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