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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. mug — a cup
  3. degree — from a university
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. degree — temperature
  6. pop — soda
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. pop — music
  9. content — happy
  10. degree — an amount
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pop — to visit
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mug — to rob
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. chair — a leader
  20. content — the amount
  21. mug — a face
  22. bear — the animal
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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