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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rest · degree · present · snap · pitch · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. present — the time now
  3. degree — temperature
  4. present — a gift
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. degree — an amount
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. present — there
  11. cap — a lid
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. cap — of ice
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. degree — from a university
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. rest — what's left

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