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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bound · cell · current · present · pitcher · date · kick

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. cell — a phone
  3. degree — an amount
  4. date — the fruit
  5. kick — in football
  6. bound — tied together
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bound — certain
  9. cell — in biology
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — a gift
  13. current — happening now
  14. present — there
  15. bound — obliged
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. degree — temperature
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. current — electric
  24. degree — from a university

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