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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. degree — from a university
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. snap — to click
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bulb — for light
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. degree — an amount
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — in football
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. game — a match
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. cap — of ice
  22. game — wild animals
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. game — a kind of play

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