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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ground · cabinet · bound · cell · chip · degree · cold · can

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. can — a tin
  3. ground — a position
  4. chip — to eat
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bound — certain
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bound — tied together
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — crushed
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. can — a tin
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bound — obliged
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. chip — for betting
  24. degree — an amount

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