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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a lid
  4. land — to come down
  5. file — a line of people
  6. degree — temperature
  7. ground — a position
  8. land — a country
  9. degree — an amount
  10. file — a tool
  11. present — a gift
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. degree — from a university
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. land — ground
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. file — a document
  19. present — the time now
  20. ground — crushed
  21. cap — a hat
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. ground — the earth
  24. present — there

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