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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
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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: bulb · degree · current · cell · sharp · ball · ruler · capital

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. capital — money
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. current — happening now
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. cell — a phone
  8. current — of water
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. degree — an amount
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. capital — a city
  17. degree — from a university
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — in biology
  20. current — electric
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. sharp — clever
  23. degree — temperature
  24. ball — a dance

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