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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  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. content — the amount
  2. degree — an amount
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. track — a song
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. track — to keep track
  7. wax — to grow
  8. suit — to fit
  9. degree — from a university
  10. track — a path
  11. degree — temperature
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. suit — in cards
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. suit — clothes
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fork — in a road
  23. ruler — for measuring
  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