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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 120 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. root — the cause
  3. tube — the underground
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — for golf
  6. file — a document
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. vault — a safe
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. court — of law
  12. court — for sport
  13. club — a group
  14. court — of a king
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. stand — to bear
  17. degree — from a university
  18. root — of a plant
  19. tube — a container
  20. file — a line of people
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. degree — temperature
  23. file — a tool
  24. root — of a word

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