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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: degree · kick · current · bound · rush · roll · sharp · cap

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — of ice
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. kick — in football
  6. roll — a cake
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — from a university
  9. roll — a list
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — certain
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. sharp — clever
  15. cap — a lid
  16. current — of water
  17. rush — hurry
  18. degree — an amount
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bound — tied together
  21. current — electric
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. current — happening now
  24. kick — with a leg

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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