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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bear — the animal
  3. season — of the year
  4. lean — thin
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a city
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. pass — a permit
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. degree — from a university
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. cap — a lid
  15. season — in sport
  16. degree — an amount
  17. bear — the animal
  18. lean — to bend
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — of ice
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a round shape

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