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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. sharp — clever
  3. squash — to crush
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cap — a hat
  6. squash — the sport
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — a measure
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. degree — from a university
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. cap — a lid
  16. degree — temperature
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. degree — an amount
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. leaves — of a tree

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