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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. cap — a lid
  3. mark — a grade
  4. cap — of ice
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — in sport
  7. present — the time now
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. cue — for pool
  10. present — there
  11. roll — a list
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cue — a hint
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a trace
  16. net — for catching
  17. date — the fruit
  18. cue — a signal
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — from a university
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. roll — a cake

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