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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cap — a hat
  5. row — to paddle
  6. degree — an amount
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. row — a line
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. dip — to sink
  12. cap — of ice
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. degree — from a university
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. foot — a measure
  23. bat — the animal
  24. jam — a tight spot

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