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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: safe · face · file · content · cabinet · degree · hand · current

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — the amount
  3. degree — from a university
  4. current — electric
  5. file — a line of people
  6. degree — temperature
  7. hand — help
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. file — a document
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. current — happening now
  15. face — to point toward
  16. current — of water
  17. degree — an amount
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. file — a tool
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. hand — in cards
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. safe — out of danger

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