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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. charge — a price
  3. present — a gift
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to tire
  6. last — to go on
  7. degree — temperature
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — a trail
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bank — for money
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. present — there
  14. charge — in control
  15. content — the amount
  16. last — finally
  17. bank — of a river
  18. charge — electricity
  19. content — happy
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bank — for money
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. last — final
  24. present — the time now

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