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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — an amount
  4. net — after costs
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. net — in sport
  7. march — music
  8. staff — employees
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. degree — from a university
  11. cap — of ice
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. march — the month
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. staff — a stick
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. cap — a hat
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. net — for catching
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. staff — employees
  23. march — the month
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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