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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 120 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  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. mug — a face
  2. kid — to tease
  3. pop — music
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. degree — an amount
  6. can — a tin
  7. pass — a permit
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pop — to visit
  10. season — of the year
  11. mug — a cup
  12. kid — child
  13. mug — to rob
  14. can — to be able to
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. pop — soda
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. can — a tin
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. degree — temperature
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. season — in sport
  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