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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mug — a face
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. content — the amount
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. mug — to rob
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. snap — to click
  12. vault — a safe
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. mug — a cup
  16. content — happy
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. mate — a partner
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. mate — to breed

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