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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. net — for catching
  3. capital — a city
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bank — for money
  6. capital — money
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a hat
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bank — for money
  13. cold — an illness
  14. mark — a trace
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cap — a lid
  18. net — in sport
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. bank — of a river
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — an amount
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. net — after costs

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