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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. club — for dancing
  3. tube — the underground
  4. degree — an amount
  5. firm — steady
  6. degree — from a university
  7. firm — decided
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. tube — a container
  10. club — for golf
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. degree — temperature
  14. wind — moving air
  15. roll — a cake
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. roll — a list
  19. pit — in a race
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. pit — a hole
  23. wind — moving air
  24. club — a group

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