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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. mate — a friend
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. clip — a video
  5. squash — the sport
  6. clip — to cut
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — a committee
  9. shower — rain
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bear — the animal
  12. clip — for paper
  13. bear — the animal
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. cap — a hat
  17. degree — temperature
  18. shower — to wash
  19. mate — a partner
  20. board — to get on
  21. cap — of ice
  22. mate — to breed
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. squash — to crush

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