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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: bear · degree · foot · jam · pitch · capital · stock · tube

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. degree — from a university
  3. foot — a measure
  4. pitch — completely
  5. capital — money
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. capital — a city
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. degree — temperature
  13. tube — the underground
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — shares
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. degree — an amount
  20. stock — goods
  21. bear — the animal
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. tube — a container

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