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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: dip · bound · cell · drill · cold · can · degree · nail

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. degree — temperature
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — from a university
  7. drill — army training
  8. cold — an illness
  9. dip — to sink
  10. cold — not warm
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. cell — in biology
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bound — obliged
  17. can — a tin
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. drill — the tool
  21. can — a tin
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — certain
  24. cell — a phone

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