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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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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: firm · tube · game · cell · cabinet · hand · degree · hide

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. firm — decided
  4. firm — a company
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. degree — from a university
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. firm — steady
  13. hand — in cards
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — temperature
  17. game — a match
  18. tube — a container
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. cell — in biology
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. game — wild animals
  24. hand — help

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