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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. last — final
  3. degree — an amount
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. can — a tin
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. scale — in music
  11. degree — from a university
  12. charge — a price
  13. cap — a hat
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — electricity
  16. last — finally
  17. scale — size or range
  18. cap — of ice
  19. wake — a trail
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. degree — temperature
  22. cap — a lid
  23. last — to go on
  24. prune — to trim

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