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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. club — for dancing
  4. cap — a hat
  5. club — a group
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. degree — temperature
  9. cell — a phone
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. track — a song
  12. cell — in biology
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pit — a hole
  15. press — to push
  16. degree — from a university
  17. cap — a lid
  18. press — newspapers
  19. pit — in a race
  20. club — for golf
  21. track — to keep track
  22. degree — an amount
  23. track — a path
  24. press — a publisher

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