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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. cap — a hat
  3. degree — from a university
  4. cue — for pool
  5. scale — size or range
  6. degree — temperature
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cap — a lid
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bank — for money
  11. land — ground
  12. can — a tin
  13. ball — a dance
  14. can — a tin
  15. land — a country
  16. degree — an amount
  17. cap — of ice
  18. land — to come down
  19. can — to be able to
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. cue — a signal
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bank — for money
  24. scale — in 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