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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bass — the fish
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. kid — child
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. toast — bread
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. cap — of ice
  14. rush — hurry
  15. degree — from a university
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. cap — a lid
  19. kid — to tease
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bass — low music

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