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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.

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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. wind — moving air
  5. content — the amount
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. charge — a price
  8. content — happy
  9. bore — to drill
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. current — of water
  13. fine — all right
  14. current — electric
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. charge — in control
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bore — to tire
  19. degree — an amount
  20. current — happening now
  21. degree — temperature
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  24. charge — electricity

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