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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. club — a group
  3. cap — a hat
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. capital — a city
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. club — for dancing
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bear — the animal
  14. fork — in a road
  15. drill — army training
  16. cap — of ice
  17. degree — temperature
  18. cap — a lid
  19. drill — a practice
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. club — for golf
  22. drill — the tool
  23. capital — money
  24. ruler — a monarch

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