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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 116 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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. suit — clothes
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. face — to confront
  5. cap — a hat
  6. face — part of the head
  7. suit — in cards
  8. degree — temperature
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. degree — from a university
  11. suit — to fit
  12. mine — for digging
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wind — moving air
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. rule — a law
  18. wind — moving air
  19. cap — of ice
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bark — to shout
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. wind — to turn a key

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