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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · cabinet · rule · nail · jam · degree

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. cell — a phone
  4. degree — from a university
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. rule — a law
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. rule — government
  11. degree — temperature
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. degree — an amount
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. 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