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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 116 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. capital — a city
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cue — for pool
  6. cap — a lid
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. club — for golf
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. club — for dancing
  13. cue — a hint
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. cap — a hat
  18. deal — to handle
  19. cap — of ice
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. capital — money
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — an amount
  24. club — a group

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