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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. degree — temperature
  3. roll — a cake
  4. cap — a lid
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. plane — a tool
  8. game — a match
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. toast — bread
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. roll — a list
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. degree — an amount
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. degree — from a university
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. cap — of ice

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