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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 116 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. cap — a lid
  3. degree — from a university
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. degree — temperature
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. cap — a hat
  9. dip — to sink
  10. rest — what's left
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. march — the month
  13. rest — a break
  14. march — the month
  15. rest — what's left
  16. cap — of ice
  17. degree — an amount
  18. march — music
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. band — a music group
  21. perch — the fish
  22. ball — a dance
  23. band — a ring
  24. dip — to dunk

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