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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. file — a line of people
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cap — a lid
  9. file — a document
  10. board — to get on
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. degree — from a university
  14. board — a committee
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. degree — temperature
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. file — a tool
  21. degree — an amount
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. cap — a hat

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