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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 120 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: cabinet · current · content · foot · row · press · court · degree

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. degree — temperature
  4. current — electric
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. degree — from a university
  8. current — happening now
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. press — to push
  12. current — of water
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — newspapers
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. foot — a measure
  17. court — of a king
  18. degree — an amount
  19. row — to paddle
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of law
  22. content — happy
  23. row — a line
  24. cabinet — ministers

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