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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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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: spell · plane · jam · cap · wind · mine · pit · degree

  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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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. degree — temperature
  4. spell — a short time
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. pit — in a race
  8. cap — of ice
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pit — a hole
  11. plane — a tool
  12. spell — letters
  13. cap — a lid
  14. degree — an amount
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. spell — magic
  19. mine — for digging
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. wind — moving air
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. mine — belonging to me

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