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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. degree — temperature
  3. mate — a partner
  4. cap — a hat
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. clip — a video
  9. degree — from a university
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. cap — a lid
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cap — of ice
  15. clip — to cut
  16. mate — to breed
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. clip — for paper
  20. pitch — completely
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. degree — an amount
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bear — the animal

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