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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. cap — a hat
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. spell — a short time
  7. cap — of ice
  8. degree — temperature
  9. spell — letters
  10. rule — government
  11. root — the cause
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rule — a law
  14. spell — magic
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. craft — boats
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. degree — an amount
  19. root — of a word
  20. craft — a skill
  21. cap — a lid
  22. root — of a plant
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep 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