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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. staff — employees
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. cap — of ice
  8. last — to go on
  9. cap — a hat
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. cap — a lid
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — completely
  14. degree — an amount
  15. kid — to tease
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. degree — from a university
  18. kid — child
  19. last — finally
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. last — final
  22. staff — a stick
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. staff — employees

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