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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. fork — in a road
  3. degree — temperature
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. charge — in control
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. tube — a container
  12. stock — shares
  13. charge — electricity
  14. degree — from a university
  15. charge — a price
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. season — of the year
  18. band — a ring
  19. season — in sport
  20. plane — a tool
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. tube — the underground
  24. band — a music group

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