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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · spell · hide · cap · mine · foot · kick · degree

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. degree — from a university
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. spell — letters
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. mine — for digging
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — help
  12. cap — a lid
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. degree — an amount
  16. cap — of ice
  17. spell — a short time
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. degree — temperature
  21. foot — a measure
  22. spell — magic
  23. kick — in football
  24. cap — a hat

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