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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pop · deal · cabinet · degree · tube · cap · cold · saw

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. cap — a lid
  3. deal — to handle
  4. degree — an amount
  5. cold — not warm
  6. saw — the tool
  7. degree — from a university
  8. pop — to visit
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. pop — soda
  18. tube — a container
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. degree — temperature
  21. pop — music
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. cold — an illness

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