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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. present — there
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a lid
  8. present — a gift
  9. degree — from a university
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. drill — the tool
  13. degree — temperature
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. branch — a division
  17. toast — bread
  18. degree — an amount
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. drill — army training
  21. present — the time now
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. drill — a practice
  24. wave — with your hand

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