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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 120 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. kick — in football
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. degree — an amount
  5. rule — government
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — the earth
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. ground — crushed
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. can — a tin
  13. degree — temperature
  14. rule — a law
  15. fall — to drop
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. cap — of ice
  18. degree — from a university
  19. can — a tin
  20. cap — a lid
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. cap — a hat
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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