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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 120 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 my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. cap — a hat
  4. foot — a measure
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. wax — to grow
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. rule — a law
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cap — a lid
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. degree — from a university
  20. deal — to handle
  21. rule — government
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. degree — an amount
  24. cap — of ice

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