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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. press — a publisher
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. degree — an amount
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. press — newspapers
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pass — a permit
  10. board — to get on
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. band — a music group
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. press — to push
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. band — a ring
  19. cap — of ice
  20. board — a committee
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. degree — temperature
  23. cap — a lid
  24. degree — from a university

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