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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. degree — temperature
  3. content — happy
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. net — after costs
  6. ball — a great time
  7. toast — bread
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. degree — an amount
  10. net — in sport
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. degree — from a university
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. clip — for paper
  15. content — the amount
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. net — for catching
  19. clip — a video
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. ball — a dance
  24. clip — to cut

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