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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. face — to point toward
  3. swing — in golf
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. degree — from a university
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — music
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to click
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. shower — rain
  13. cap — a lid
  14. degree — temperature
  15. court — for sport
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. face — part of the head
  18. cap — a hat
  19. shower — to wash
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — of law
  22. cap — of ice
  23. degree — an amount
  24. face — to confront

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