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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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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: row · firm · cabinet · degree · nail · charge · staff · shower

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — temperature
  3. shower — to wash
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. firm — a company
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. charge — a price
  8. firm — steady
  9. charge — electricity
  10. row — a line
  11. degree — from a university
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. staff — employees
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. firm — decided
  19. row — to paddle
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. charge — in control
  24. shower — rain

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