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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: bat · deal · rest · hide · cell · date · degree · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. rest — a break
  3. bat — the animal
  4. cell — in biology
  5. rest — what's left
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. date — the fruit
  13. cap — a hat
  14. degree — temperature
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. degree — an amount
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. rest — what's left
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. cap — a lid
  22. degree — from a university
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. deal — to handle

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