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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: current · content · squash · pitcher · wind · safe · mate · degree

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. degree — temperature
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mate — to breed
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. degree — an amount
  9. degree — from a university
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. wind — moving air
  13. squash — the sport
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. current — of water
  17. mate — a partner
  18. current — happening now
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. content — the amount
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. squash — to crush
  23. mate — a friend
  24. current — electric

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