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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a lid
  3. drill — army training
  4. cap — a hat
  5. roll — a cake
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. roll — a list
  8. degree — temperature
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. scale — in music
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. degree — an amount
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. foot — a measure
  17. drill — a practice
  18. scale — size or range
  19. deal — to handle
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. degree — from a university
  22. drill — the tool
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. foot — the bottom

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