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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. pit — a hole
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. cap — a hat
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bank — for money
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cap — a lid
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bark — to shout
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bank — for money
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. degree — from a university
  22. bank — of a river
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pitch — completely

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