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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. bore — to tire
  3. fork — in a road
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. cold — not warm
  6. degree — temperature
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — a position
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — happy
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. prune — to trim
  14. cold — an illness
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. bore — to drill
  17. rock — a stone
  18. degree — from a university
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. degree — an amount
  21. rock — music
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. prune — to trim

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