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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. mate — a partner
  5. scale — size or range
  6. mate — a friend
  7. content — happy
  8. degree — temperature
  9. mark — a trace
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. degree — from a university
  12. mate — to breed
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. scale — in music
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. mark — a grade
  18. content — the amount
  19. squash — the sport
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. squash — to crush
  22. degree — an amount
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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