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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: tear · scale · content · cold · current · degree · safe · swing

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. current — happening now
  3. degree — from a university
  4. cold — an illness
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. swing — music
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. current — of water
  9. scale — in music
  10. swing — to play on
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. swing — in golf
  15. degree — temperature
  16. content — the amount
  17. cold — not warm
  18. tear — from crying
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. degree — an amount
  21. current — electric
  22. content — happy
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. scale — for weighing

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