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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  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. degree — from a university
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cap — a hat
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. last — finally
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. last — to go on
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. cap — of ice
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — an amount
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. cold — not warm
  22. last — final
  23. wave — with your hand
  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