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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 120 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a hat
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. degree — from a university
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. present — a gift
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. degree — temperature
  12. root — of a word
  13. degree — an amount
  14. ground — the earth
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — a position
  18. root — the cause
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. present — the time now
  21. root — of a plant
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cap — a lid
  24. leaves — of a tree

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