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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 120 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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. key — for a lock
  4. degree — temperature
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. degree — an amount
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bound — tied together
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. degree — from a university
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. key — the most important part
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — certain
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cell — a phone
  21. key — in music
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cap — of ice
  24. temple — a place of worship

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