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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 120 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: club · pop · plane · cap · snap · land · cabinet · degree

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. land — ground
  3. pop — soda
  4. cap — a lid
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. pop — music
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. degree — temperature
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. land — a country
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cap — a hat
  14. pop — to visit
  15. land — to come down
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. plane — a tool
  18. degree — from a university
  19. club — for dancing
  20. cap — of ice
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. snap — to click
  23. club — for golf
  24. club — a group

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