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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. degree — an amount
  3. drill — the tool
  4. last — to go on
  5. drill — a practice
  6. mug — to rob
  7. last — final
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. mug — a face
  10. degree — temperature
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stem — to come from
  16. last — finally
  17. degree — from a university
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. drill — army training
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cap — a lid

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