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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. season — of the year
  5. bear — the animal
  6. degree — from a university
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. season — in sport
  10. cell — a phone
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bear — the animal
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a ring
  15. cap — of ice
  16. band — a music group
  17. degree — an amount
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fine — high quality
  20. degree — temperature
  21. cap — a lid
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. fine — all right

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