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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: tube · degree · pitcher · pop · present · bay · scale · track

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. track — to keep track
  6. tube — the underground
  7. track — a song
  8. degree — an amount
  9. present — there
  10. present — a gift
  11. degree — from a university
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — soda
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. scale — in music
  20. degree — temperature
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. present — the time now
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. track — a path

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