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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: firm · pit · tube · jam · swing · net · roll · degree

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. degree — from a university
  3. tube — a container
  4. firm — decided
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. degree — temperature
  8. swing — to play on
  9. net — after costs
  10. roll — a list
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. roll — a cake
  13. degree — an amount
  14. firm — steady
  15. net — for catching
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. net — in sport
  18. tube — the underground
  19. pit — a hole
  20. firm — a company
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. swing — in golf
  23. pit — in a race
  24. swing — music

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