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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pound — a weight
  4. degree — an amount
  5. press — newspapers
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. staff — employees
  8. rash — hasty
  9. degree — temperature
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. press — to push
  12. press — a publisher
  13. rash — a series
  14. staff — a stick
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. degree — from a university
  18. cap — of ice
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. cap — a lid
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. staff — employees

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