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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: drill · bear · degree · capital · mouse · pass · can · current

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. pass — a permit
  3. bear — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. can — to be able to
  8. degree — an amount
  9. drill — army training
  10. can — a tin
  11. degree — from a university
  12. current — electric
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. drill — the tool
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. degree — temperature
  18. capital — a city
  19. current — of water
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. drill — a practice
  23. capital — money
  24. current — happening now

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