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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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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 · mark · degree · file · firm · chair · cold · cabinet

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. mark — a trace
  3. degree — temperature
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. degree — from a university
  6. file — a tool
  7. mark — a grade
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cold — not warm
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. file — a line of people
  13. firm — steady
  14. firm — decided
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. degree — an amount
  18. cap — a lid
  19. file — a document
  20. cold — an illness
  21. firm — a company
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. mark — to pay attention

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