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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. cap — a hat
  4. scale — in music
  5. land — to come down
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cell — a phone
  8. degree — from a university
  9. land — ground
  10. land — a country
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. degree — temperature
  13. scale — size or range
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — to be able to
  19. cell — in biology
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. degree — an amount
  23. can — a tin
  24. bark — to shout

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