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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 120 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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. scale — in music
  3. bore — to drill
  4. spring — the season
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. spring — a coil
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. chair — a leader
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. degree — from a university
  12. press — newspapers
  13. degree — temperature
  14. spring — of water
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. scale — size or range
  17. bore — to tire
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a lid
  20. degree — an amount
  21. press — a publisher
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. press — to push

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