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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. fine — all right
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. mine — for digging
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — an amount
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. charge — a price
  10. degree — from a university
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. staff — employees
  14. tube — the underground
  15. fine — high quality
  16. staff — employees
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. charge — electricity
  19. charge — in control
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. staff — a stick
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. foot — a measure

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