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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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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: fine · band · cap · content · degree · rule · fork · club

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. band — a music group
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — all right
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for golf
  7. cap — a lid
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. degree — temperature
  13. rule — government
  14. degree — from a university
  15. content — happy
  16. band — a ring
  17. cap — a hat
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. rule — a law
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. degree — an amount
  23. fork — in a road
  24. cap — of ice

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