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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: lie · race · degree · bass · calf · bear · cap · ground

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bear — the animal
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — temperature
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — humankind
  13. race — the arms race
  14. cap — a lid
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. ground — the earth
  18. cap — of ice
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the fish
  21. degree — an amount
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. ground — a position

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