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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. band — a music group
  3. cap — a lid
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. rush — hurry
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. band — a ring
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. suit — in cards
  12. degree — temperature
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. degree — an amount
  17. suit — clothes
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cap — of ice
  20. suit — to fit
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. cap — a hat
  23. band — a rubber band
  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