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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: mine · kick · suit · current · ground · fine · degree · content

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — a position
  4. suit — to fit
  5. content — happy
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. mine — for digging
  8. degree — from a university
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. current — electric
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. ground — the earth
  14. fine — high quality
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. suit — clothes
  18. current — happening now
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. suit — in cards
  21. fine — all right
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. current — of water
  24. degree — temperature

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