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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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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: nail · cell · press · content · current · bore · cap · degree

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. bore — to drill
  3. press — a publisher
  4. cell — a phone
  5. degree — temperature
  6. content — the amount
  7. current — of water
  8. cap — a lid
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cap — a hat
  11. current — electric
  12. press — to push
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. current — happening now
  15. bore — to tire
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. degree — from a university
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cell — in biology
  22. press — newspapers
  23. content — happy
  24. degree — an amount

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