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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: can · cabinet · bowl · degree · hide · shower · rule · scale

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. degree — from a university
  3. can — to be able to
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. rule — a law
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. can — a tin
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. degree — temperature
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — in music
  15. can — a tin
  16. shower — rain
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. degree — an amount
  19. rule — government
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. shower — to wash
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. bowl — to roll

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