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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 116 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. rush — hurry
  3. hand — in cards
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bear — the animal
  6. degree — from a university
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. degree — an amount
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. ground — crushed
  11. cap — a hat
  12. face — to point toward
  13. hand — help
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. degree — temperature
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — music
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. cap — a lid
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to confront
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. ground — a position
  24. bear — the animal

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