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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — an amount
  4. cap — a hat
  5. degree — from a university
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. mark — a trace
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. fine — all right
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. cold — an illness
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. mark — a grade
  16. cap — a lid
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. cold — not warm
  21. lean — to bend
  22. cap — of ice
  23. lean — thin
  24. lean — to rest against

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