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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: file · toast · cabinet · mouse · cap · bear · degree · rash

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. file — a line of people
  3. degree — temperature
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. degree — from a university
  9. cap — of ice
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bear — the animal
  13. file — a document
  14. rash — a series
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. degree — an amount
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — a hat
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. file — a tool
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. mouse — the animal

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