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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. net — after costs
  3. degree — temperature
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cue — a hint
  6. degree — an amount
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cue — a signal
  12. wound — an injury
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. net — for catching
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. cue — for pool
  17. fine — high quality
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. degree — from a university
  21. content — happy
  22. fine — all right
  23. net — in sport
  24. safe — a strongbox

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