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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. degree — from a university
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. cap — a hat
  6. spring — of water
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. charge — in control
  9. degree — temperature
  10. rush — hurry
  11. cap — of ice
  12. stock — goods
  13. spring — a coil
  14. charge — electricity
  15. cue — a signal
  16. stock — shares
  17. charge — a price
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cue — for pool
  21. degree — an amount
  22. spring — the season
  23. bat — the animal
  24. stock — a soup base

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