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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. degree — an amount
  3. march — music
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. land — a country
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. land — ground
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. swing — music
  13. cap — of ice
  14. degree — temperature
  15. swing — to play on
  16. bear — the animal
  17. land — to come down
  18. march — the month
  19. degree — from a university
  20. cap — a lid
  21. march — the month
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bear — the animal
  24. stand — to bear

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