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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: jam · content · branch · cap · ruler · club · capital · degree

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. club — for dancing
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. cap — of ice
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. club — a group
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. cap — a lid
  10. degree — temperature
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — a division
  16. cap — a hat
  17. club — for golf
  18. content — happy
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — from a university
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. capital — a city
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. ruler — for measuring

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