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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 116 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. tube — the underground
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. track — to keep track
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bat — the animal
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. chair — a leader
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. degree — an amount
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. track — a path
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. tube — a container
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bear — the animal
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. chair — a professorship

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