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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — employees
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. pop — to visit
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. degree — an amount
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. pop — music
  11. degree — from a university
  12. pop — soda
  13. stand — to bear
  14. degree — temperature
  15. track — to keep track
  16. root — of a word
  17. tube — the underground
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a plant
  20. track — a song
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. tube — a container
  23. track — a path
  24. snap — to click

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