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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. clip — a video
  3. face — to point toward
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. clip — for paper
  7. face — to confront
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. degree — from a university
  12. face — part of the head
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — the underground
  15. clip — to cut
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. pitch — completely
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. degree — an amount
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. stand — to bear
  22. degree — temperature
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. cabinet — ministers

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