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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. object — an aim
  5. cap — a lid
  6. spring — of water
  7. object — to protest
  8. fine — all right
  9. cap — of ice
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. shower — rain
  12. land — ground
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — a country
  15. degree — from a university
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. spring — the season
  18. object — a thing
  19. shower — to wash
  20. fine — high quality
  21. degree — an amount
  22. cap — a hat
  23. degree — temperature
  24. cabinet — ministers

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