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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. mug — to rob
  3. drill — army training
  4. mug — a face
  5. degree — an amount
  6. mug — a cup
  7. craft — a skill
  8. fine — high quality
  9. degree — temperature
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. key — in music
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — the most important part
  15. pitch — completely
  16. content — the amount
  17. craft — boats
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. fine — all right
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. degree — from a university
  23. drill — the tool
  24. drill — a practice

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