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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. lean — thin
  3. suit — clothes
  4. degree — an amount
  5. cap — a hat
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. suit — to fit
  9. game — a match
  10. bass — low music
  11. cap — a lid
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bat — the animal
  16. suit — in cards
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bass — the fish
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. lean — to bend
  24. degree — from a university

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