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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 120 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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. face — part of the head
  3. board — to get on
  4. current — of water
  5. face — to confront
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a tool
  8. degree — temperature
  9. current — happening now
  10. degree — from a university
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. key — in music
  13. current — electric
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. board — a committee
  16. face — to point toward
  17. file — a document
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. key — the most important part
  22. degree — an amount
  23. key — for a lock
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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