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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: foot · fan · cold · band · cabinet · degree · saw · bat

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bat — the animal
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. degree — an amount
  15. foot — a measure
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. band — a ring
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cold — an illness
  24. degree — temperature

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