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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. land — a country
  3. row — to paddle
  4. cap — of ice
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. land — ground
  7. degree — temperature
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bat — the animal
  12. cue — for pool
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. row — a line
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. land — to come down
  18. cue — a signal
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. degree — an amount
  24. row — a quarrel

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