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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. last — to go on
  3. drill — army training
  4. cap — a lid
  5. last — finally
  6. tube — the underground
  7. drill — a practice
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. degree — from a university
  10. cap — of ice
  11. degree — temperature
  12. last — final
  13. object — an aim
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — a container
  18. object — a thing
  19. drill — the tool
  20. wound — an injury
  21. object — to protest
  22. degree — an amount
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. wound — an injury

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