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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. swing — music
  3. tube — a container
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. capital — money
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. swing — to play on
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. swing — in golf
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pass — a permit
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. pound — a weight
  17. degree — from a university
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. stand — to bear
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. capital — a city
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. saw — the tool

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