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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: cap · nail · bay · clip · chest · degree · bowl · land

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. clip — a video
  3. chest — a box
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. clip — to cut
  7. degree — an amount
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. chest — of your body
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a lid
  17. land — ground
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. chest — of your body
  23. land — a country
  24. degree — temperature

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