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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. ground — the earth
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — from a university
  10. capital — money
  11. spell — letters
  12. capital — a city
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. tube — the underground
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. ground — crushed
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. spell — magic
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. ground — a position
  22. tube — a container
  23. degree — an amount
  24. sharp — clever

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