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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 116 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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. land — ground
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. band — a ring
  5. degree — from a university
  6. cap — a lid
  7. can — a tin
  8. degree — temperature
  9. can — to be able to
  10. cap — a hat
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a music group
  13. can — a tin
  14. land — to come down
  15. degree — an amount
  16. cap — of ice
  17. land — a country
  18. nail — on a finger

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