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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — a lid
  4. object — an aim
  5. object — a thing
  6. spell — letters
  7. cap — of ice
  8. pit — in a race
  9. object — to protest
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. dip — to sink
  13. degree — an amount
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. degree — from a university
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — magic
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. tube — the underground
  22. degree — temperature
  23. tube — a container
  24. cabinet — ministers

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