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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. mine — for digging
  3. cap — of ice
  4. fine — high quality
  5. toast — bread
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. chip — to eat
  8. degree — from a university
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. chip — for betting
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. degree — an amount
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. wind — moving air
  20. degree — temperature
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. cap — a lid

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