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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. cap — of ice
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. spring — of water
  6. cap — a lid
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. kick — in football
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cap — a hat
  12. degree — temperature
  13. suit — in cards
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. suit — to fit
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. band — a ring
  18. band — a music group
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. degree — from a university
  21. suit — clothes
  22. spring — the season
  23. bear — the animal
  24. racket — for tennis

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