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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: cap · wind · current · degree · nail · deal · can · kid

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. wind — moving air
  3. deal — to handle
  4. current — of water
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. cap — a lid
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. cap — of ice
  10. current — happening now
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. cap — a hat
  13. current — electric
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. can — a tin
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. wind — moving air
  18. degree — from a university
  19. can — to be able to
  20. kid — to tease
  21. degree — temperature
  22. can — a tin
  23. kid — child
  24. deal — an agreement

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