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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: current · bore · content · firm · temple · degree · land · ball

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bore — to tire
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. degree — an amount
  6. content — happy
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. content — the amount
  9. ball — a great time
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. firm — decided
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. degree — from a university
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. land — ground
  16. firm — a company
  17. current — happening now
  18. degree — temperature
  19. land — to come down
  20. firm — steady
  21. bore — to drill
  22. current — electric
  23. current — of water
  24. land — a country

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