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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. current — happening now
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. object — to protest
  5. ground — a position
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. object — an aim
  8. ground — the earth
  9. degree — an amount
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. current — electric
  12. dip — to sink
  13. content — the amount
  14. mark — a trace
  15. object — a thing
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. current — of water
  19. degree — temperature
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. degree — from a university
  24. content — happy

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