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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: wound · hide · can · race · cap · cabinet · press · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. can — a tin
  4. race — the arms race
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. degree — an amount
  7. cap — a lid
  8. wound — an injury
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. wound — an injury
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — to push
  14. cap — of ice
  15. race — a contest
  16. degree — from a university
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. race — humankind
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. press — newspapers
  24. hide — to keep secret

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