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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. last — final
  4. degree — an amount
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. degree — temperature
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — to tease
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. cap — of ice
  13. rush — hurry
  14. cap — a lid
  15. wake — a trail
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — finally
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. degree — from a university
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cap — a hat
  24. bear — the animal

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