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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bound — certain
  6. chip — to eat
  7. degree — an amount
  8. chip — for betting
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. date — the fruit
  11. club — for golf
  12. cap — a lid
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bound — obliged
  15. club — for dancing
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — thin
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. club — a group
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bound — tied together

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