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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. mate — to breed
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. hand — help
  7. root — the cause
  8. cap — of ice
  9. root — of a word
  10. degree — from a university
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. mate — a partner
  13. degree — an amount
  14. cap — a hat
  15. stand — to bear
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. root — of a plant
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a grade
  21. degree — temperature
  22. hand — in cards
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mark — a trace

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