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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — a lid
  4. can — a tin
  5. key — for a lock
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. fine — all right
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — an amount
  10. key — the most important part
  11. can — to be able to
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. fine — high quality
  16. degree — temperature
  17. content — happy
  18. key — in music
  19. can — a tin
  20. content — the amount
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. cap — of ice
  24. racket — a loud noise

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