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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. kid — to tease
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. cap — a hat
  6. squash — the sport
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — in sport
  9. squash — to crush
  10. degree — from a university
  11. snap — to click
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. kid — child
  14. degree — an amount
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. degree — temperature
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — of ice
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. squash — the vegetable

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