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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. pop — music
  3. staff — employees
  4. cap — a lid
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bear — the animal
  7. charge — in control
  8. degree — an amount
  9. staff — employees
  10. cold — not warm
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a hat
  14. pop — to visit
  15. staff — a stick
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. bear — the animal
  19. cold — an illness
  20. charge — a price
  21. charge — electricity
  22. degree — temperature
  23. pop — soda
  24. snap — to click

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