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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. cap — a hat
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. cap — a lid
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — a skill
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. pit — a hole
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. craft — boats
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wax — to grow
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. degree — from a university
  23. cap — of ice
  24. degree — temperature

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