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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cap — of ice
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. degree — from a university
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. degree — temperature
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. cap — a hat
  14. degree — an amount
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. scale — in music
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. scale — size or range
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. pit — a hole
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bat — the animal

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