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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — a hat
  3. pop — music
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pop — to visit
  7. squash — the sport
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. pit — a hole
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. degree — temperature
  12. stem — to come from
  13. mug — to rob
  14. pop — soda
  15. degree — from a university
  16. cap — of ice
  17. squash — to crush
  18. mug — a cup
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. degree — an amount
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mug — a face
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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