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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. cap — a lid
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. degree — from a university
  7. band — a ring
  8. rush — hurry
  9. shower — rain
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. degree — an amount
  13. club — for golf
  14. cap — a hat
  15. bulb — for light
  16. shower — to wash
  17. club — a group
  18. mug — to rob
  19. degree — temperature
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. mug — a cup
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. club — for dancing

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