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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. wound — an injury
  3. suit — in cards
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. wake — a trail
  7. degree — temperature
  8. content — the amount
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. squash — the sport
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wound — an injury
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. saw — the tool
  16. content — happy
  17. degree — an amount
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. suit — to fit
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. squash — to crush
  24. suit — clothes

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