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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — temperature
  3. firm — a company
  4. cap — a hat
  5. drill — the tool
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. firm — decided
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. drill — a practice
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — completely
  12. firm — steady
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — of ice
  17. drill — army training
  18. degree — from a university
  19. pop — music
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pop — soda
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. pop — to visit

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