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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. rash — a series
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. degree — an amount
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. band — a ring
  10. stand — to bear
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. can — a tin
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. capital — a city
  15. rash — hasty
  16. can — a tin
  17. band — a music group
  18. degree — from a university
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. degree — temperature
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. capital — money
  23. can — to be able to
  24. rush — hurry

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