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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. key — in music
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cap — of ice
  5. can — to be able to
  6. key — the most important part
  7. hand — help
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. can — a tin
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — temperature
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — not warm
  16. can — a tin
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. hand — in cards
  19. key — for a lock
  20. bulb — for light
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. cap — a lid
  23. degree — from a university
  24. dip — to sink

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