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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. degree — an amount
  3. cap — a lid
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. bear — the animal
  10. degree — from a university
  11. net — for catching
  12. cap — of ice
  13. degree — temperature
  14. stand — to bear
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. net — in sport
  18. bear — the animal
  19. cap — a hat
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. net — after costs
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. tube — the underground
  24. racket — a loud noise

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