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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.

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: face · degree · cabinet · hand · cap · leaves · season · chip

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. face — to confront
  4. chip — to eat
  5. degree — temperature
  6. cap — of ice
  7. chip — for betting
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. season — of the year
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. cap — a hat
  14. season — in sport
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cap — a lid
  17. face — part of the head
  18. hand — in cards
  19. degree — an amount
  20. hand — help
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. face — to point toward
  24. degree — from a university

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