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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. degree — temperature
  3. pop — music
  4. saw — the tool
  5. dip — to sink
  6. roll — a cake
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. roll — a list
  13. cap — a hat
  14. pass — a permit
  15. hand — in cards
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. degree — an amount
  19. pop — soda
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. cap — a lid
  22. degree — from a university
  23. pop — to visit
  24. hand — help

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