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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — from a university
  3. cap — a hat
  4. fall — the season
  5. spell — magic
  6. cap — of ice
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — a short time
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. charge — in control
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. charge — electricity
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. degree — an amount
  20. charge — a price
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bear — the animal
  24. fall — to drop

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