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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 116 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: capital · degree · net · kid · cell · lean · bore · board

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. degree — temperature
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. capital — a city
  7. degree — an amount
  8. capital — money
  9. board — to get on
  10. net — after costs
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. lean — thin
  14. cell — in biology
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. bore — to tire
  17. lean — to bend
  18. degree — from a university
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. net — for catching
  21. kid — child
  22. board — a committee
  23. net — in sport
  24. cell — a phone

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