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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. tube — a container
  3. bound — tied together
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cold — not warm
  6. rest — what's left
  7. firm — decided
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. degree — from a university
  11. cold — an illness
  12. firm — steady
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — of ice
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bound — obliged
  20. tube — the underground
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. bound — certain
  24. rest — a break

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