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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: saw · degree · capital · mouse · fan · game · face · cabinet

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. capital — money
  5. game — wild animals
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. capital — a city
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. degree — an amount
  10. game — a match
  11. face — to confront
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. saw — the tool
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. degree — temperature
  16. face — part of the head
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. saw — the tool
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. degree — from a university
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. face — to point toward

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