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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.

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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: mug · capital · degree · deal · current · tube · race · club

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. mug — to rob
  3. degree — temperature
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. mug — a face
  6. mug — a cup
  7. current — happening now
  8. current — of water
  9. club — a group
  10. race — the arms race
  11. club — for golf
  12. current — electric
  13. deal — to handle
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. degree — an amount
  16. capital — a city
  17. tube — the underground
  18. capital — money
  19. race — a contest
  20. club — for dancing
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. tube — a container
  23. race — humankind
  24. degree — from a university

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