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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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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: fine · degree · drill · mate · tear · content · bank · cap

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bank — for money
  4. degree — temperature
  5. cap — a lid
  6. mate — a friend
  7. tear — to rip
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bank — of a river
  10. content — happy
  11. mate — to breed
  12. drill — a practice
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bank — for money
  15. degree — an amount
  16. tear — from crying
  17. content — the amount
  18. fine — all right
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a hat
  21. tear — from crying
  22. drill — the tool
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. drill — army training

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