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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. chest — a box
  3. chest — of your body
  4. cap — a lid
  5. degree — temperature
  6. saw — the tool
  7. chest — of your body
  8. season — of the year
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. sharp — clever
  11. cap — a hat
  12. season — in sport
  13. can — a tin
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. saw — the tool
  20. foot — a measure
  21. degree — from a university
  22. can — a tin
  23. cap — of ice
  24. can — to be able to

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