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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. cap — a hat
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bass — the fish
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. cap — of ice
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. bass — low music
  9. net — in sport
  10. mark — a grade
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. cap — a lid
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. wax — to grow
  18. net — after costs
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. degree — an amount
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. degree — from a university
  24. mark — a trace

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