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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — temperature
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. season — in sport
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. cap — a lid
  8. clip — for paper
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. season — of the year
  14. clip — a video
  15. deal — to handle
  16. cap — of ice
  17. clip — to cut
  18. cap — a hat
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. degree — an amount
  24. ruler — a monarch

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