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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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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. track — a song
  3. degree — temperature
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. deal — to handle
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. track — a path
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. wind — moving air
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — from a university
  22. wind — moving air
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — to wash

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