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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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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: degree · date · nail · club · content · bore

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. content — happy
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. degree — an amount
  6. content — the amount
  7. bore — to tire
  8. date — the fruit
  9. degree — temperature
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bore — to drill
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — a group
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. club — for dancing
  18. bore — gave birth

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