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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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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: degree · band · cabinet · cap · vault · current · race · mug

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — from a university
  4. race — the arms race
  5. mug — a face
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. degree — an amount
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. current — electric
  10. vault — a safe
  11. race — humankind
  12. mug — to rob
  13. cap — a lid
  14. band — a music group
  15. current — happening now
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. current — of water
  18. race — a contest
  19. cap — of ice
  20. band — a ring
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mug — a cup
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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