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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. rest — what's left
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. mate — a friend
  6. band — a ring
  7. mate — to breed
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. cap — of ice
  10. band — a music group
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — a safe
  13. degree — temperature
  14. cap — a hat
  15. degree — an amount
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. mate — a partner
  19. wake — a trail
  20. chip — for betting
  21. rest — a break
  22. degree — from a university
  23. rest — what's left
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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