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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  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 — in baseball
  2. present — the time now
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — to tease
  6. cap — a hat
  7. degree — an amount
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. present — a gift
  11. rock — music
  12. bass — low music
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bass — the fish
  15. degree — temperature
  16. cap — of ice
  17. present — there
  18. rock — a stone
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bear — the animal
  22. cap — a lid
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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