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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. degree — temperature
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stem — to come from
  7. degree — an amount
  8. swing — music
  9. mark — a grade
  10. cap — a hat
  11. mark — a trace
  12. race — humankind
  13. race — a contest
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. cap — of ice
  17. degree — from a university
  18. craft — boats
  19. craft — a skill
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — to play on
  23. race — the arms race
  24. stem — of a plant

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