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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — of the year
  4. degree — from a university
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. degree — temperature
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. wind — moving air
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. can — a tin
  14. rash — a series
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pound — a weight
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. degree — an amount
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. rash — hasty

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