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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. suit — to fit
  4. cap — a hat
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. degree — from a university
  7. march — the month
  8. mark — a grade
  9. degree — temperature
  10. mark — a trace
  11. degree — an amount
  12. cap — a lid
  13. deal — to handle
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — a practice
  17. suit — in cards
  18. drill — army training
  19. stem — to come from
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. suit — clothes

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