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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.

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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: degree · chair · fall · can · cap · mate · mouse · face

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. can — a tin
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. cap — a lid
  5. face — to point toward
  6. cap — of ice
  7. face — to confront
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. mate — a partner
  12. can — to be able to
  13. mate — a friend
  14. face — part of the head
  15. cap — a hat
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. can — a tin
  18. degree — from a university
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. fall — to drop
  22. chair — a leader
  23. degree — temperature
  24. degree — an amount

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