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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. mark — a trace
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bulb — for light
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. cap — of ice
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — an amount
  20. mark — a grade
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chair — a leader
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cap — a lid

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