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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 116 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. can — a tin
  3. cap — a hat
  4. degree — from a university
  5. current — of water
  6. kick — in football
  7. current — electric
  8. degree — an amount
  9. face — to point toward
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. degree — temperature
  12. file — a line of people
  13. cap — a lid
  14. can — a tin
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — part of the head
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. can — to be able to
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. current — happening now
  21. file — a document
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. cap — of ice
  24. file — a tool

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