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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mug — a cup
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. cap — a hat
  5. pop — to visit
  6. cap — of ice
  7. face — part of the head
  8. mug — a face
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a friend
  12. face — to point toward
  13. pop — soda
  14. mug — to rob
  15. cap — a lid
  16. face — to confront
  17. pop — music
  18. prune — to trim
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. degree — temperature
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. degree — from a university
  23. prune — to trim
  24. degree — an amount

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