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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. chest — of your body
  3. degree — from a university
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. scale — size or range
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. chest — a box
  8. degree — an amount
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. chest — of your body
  13. tube — a container
  14. lean — thin
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. ball — a dance
  17. degree — temperature
  18. lean — to bend
  19. scale — in music
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. tube — the underground

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