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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 116 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: cue · face · cap · hide · club · degree · lean · current

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. current — of water
  3. club — a group
  4. current — electric
  5. cap — a hat
  6. lean — to bend
  7. club — for golf
  8. cap — of ice
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cue — a signal
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. degree — an amount
  13. cap — a lid
  14. degree — from a university
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. face — to confront
  17. current — happening now
  18. cue — for pool
  19. face — to point toward
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. lean — thin
  22. degree — temperature
  23. cue — a hint
  24. face — part of the head

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