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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: content · degree · kick · object · drill · race · bank · fine

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. race — a contest
  3. degree — an amount
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. bank — for money
  6. object — an aim
  7. race — the arms race
  8. fine — all right
  9. content — happy
  10. race — humankind
  11. fine — high quality
  12. kick — in football
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — army training
  17. bank — for money
  18. object — to protest
  19. drill — a practice
  20. object — a thing
  21. degree — from a university
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. content — the amount
  24. bank — of a river

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