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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. mug — a cup
  3. file — a tool
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. season — in sport
  6. degree — an amount
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a line of people
  9. stem — to come from
  10. degree — from a university
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. mug — to rob
  16. season — of the year
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — the animal
  20. ground — crushed
  21. degree — temperature
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — a container
  24. mug — a face

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