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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
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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: cabinet · key · content · shower · object · bulb · degree · fan

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  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. key — for a lock
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. key — the most important part
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. shower — to wash
  9. degree — an amount
  10. shower — rain
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. object — to protest
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bulb — for light
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. object — an aim
  18. content — happy
  19. content — the amount
  20. degree — temperature
  21. object — a thing
  22. key — in music
  23. bulb — for light
  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