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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: cabinet · degree · shower · net · arm · charge · season · nail

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. net — in sport
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. season — in sport
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. net — for catching
  8. shower — rain
  9. degree — an amount
  10. charge — in control
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. degree — from a university
  15. season — of the year
  16. shower — to wash
  17. net — after costs
  18. charge — a price
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. charge — electricity
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. degree — temperature
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. nail — on a finger

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