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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. content — the amount
  3. degree — from a university
  4. mate — a partner
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. drill — army training
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. craft — a skill
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. tube — a container
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. degree — an amount
  14. content — happy
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. mate — a friend
  20. drill — a practice
  21. tube — the underground
  22. mate — to breed
  23. drill — the tool
  24. craft — boats

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