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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 124 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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. cap — a lid
  3. season — of the year
  4. mate — a partner
  5. degree — temperature
  6. tear — to rip
  7. season — in sport
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. tear — from crying
  10. field — for sport
  11. cap — of ice
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mate — a friend
  17. degree — an amount
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. degree — from a university
  20. field — farmland
  21. mate — to breed
  22. field — a subject
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. cap — a hat

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