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

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. vault — a safe
  5. track — a song
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. deal — to handle
  9. rush — hurry
  10. degree — an amount
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. track — to keep track
  14. content — the amount
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. content — happy
  20. pound — a weight
  21. degree — from a university
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. track — a path
  24. rush — a thrill

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