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

Word bank: wound · degree · drill · rock · present · fall · kick · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. drill — a practice
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rock — music
  6. drill — army training
  7. rock — a stone
  8. degree — an amount
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. drill — the tool
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wound — an injury
  15. present — there
  16. present — a gift
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. present — the time now
  19. degree — temperature
  20. fall — the season
  21. cap — a lid
  22. degree — from a university
  23. cap — of ice
  24. kick — in football

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