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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mate — a partner
  5. degree — from a university
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a hat
  10. mate — to breed
  11. degree — temperature
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. mate — a friend
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. prune — to trim
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — for betting
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. prune — to trim
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. squash — to crush
  23. degree — an amount
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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