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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. degree — an amount
  4. cap — of ice
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. cue — a hint
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cue — for pool
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. staff — employees
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. degree — from a university
  18. wound — an injury
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. staff — employees
  21. degree — temperature
  22. cap — a hat
  23. staff — a stick
  24. cue — a signal

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