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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: cold · cell · cabinet · pitcher · degree · bound · current · drill

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. drill — a practice
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bound — obliged
  7. drill — the tool
  8. current — electric
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bound — tied together
  11. degree — temperature
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. degree — an amount
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cell — in biology
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bound — certain
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. current — of water
  21. cell — a phone
  22. current — happening now
  23. degree — from a university
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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