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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 116 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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. fine — high quality
  3. press — to push
  4. degree — from a university
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. root — the cause
  7. degree — an amount
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. root — of a word
  11. bass — the fish
  12. branch — a division
  13. press — a publisher
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. key — the most important part
  16. degree — temperature
  17. root — of a plant
  18. cap — a lid
  19. key — for a lock
  20. bass — low music
  21. fine — all right
  22. press — newspapers
  23. key — in music
  24. cap — of ice

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