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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. bore — to tire
  4. band — a ring
  5. capital — a city
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. current — happening now
  8. capital — money
  9. degree — an amount
  10. current — electric
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. track — a path
  14. content — the amount
  15. degree — temperature
  16. current — of water
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. track — a song
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bore — to drill
  23. band — a music group
  24. content — happy

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