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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 116 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: cap · degree · current · straw · mine · net · cabinet · rash

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. degree — temperature
  4. cap — of ice
  5. mine — for digging
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. degree — from a university
  8. current — happening now
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. cap — a hat
  11. degree — an amount
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — in sport
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. current — electric
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. current — of water
  19. rash — hasty
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cap — a lid
  23. net — for catching
  24. rash — a series

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