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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. shower — rain
  3. can — a tin
  4. shower — to wash
  5. mate — a friend
  6. cap — of ice
  7. can — a tin
  8. degree — an amount
  9. can — to be able to
  10. season — of the year
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. rule — a law
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. degree — temperature
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. cap — a hat
  17. rule — government
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — in sport
  20. mate — to breed
  21. fork — in a road
  22. mate — a partner
  23. cap — a lid
  24. rule — to rule out

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