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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: jam · degree · tube · stand · bat · vault · pitch · mark

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. degree — from a university
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. stand — to bear
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. mark — a trace
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. mark — a grade
  13. bat — the animal
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. vault — a safe
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — an amount
  24. pitch — a sports field

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