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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bear — the animal
  3. ball — a dance
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. present — there
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. present — a gift
  9. present — the time now
  10. ball — a great time
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. tube — the underground
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. degree — an amount
  15. wound — an injury
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. wound — an injury
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — temperature
  23. tube — a container
  24. bear — to put up with

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