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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  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. degree — temperature
  2. ground — crushed
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ground — a position
  9. last — to go on
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. content — the amount
  13. branch — a division
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. last — finally
  16. degree — an amount
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. degree — from a university
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. last — final
  22. bat — the animal
  23. toast — bread
  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