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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. degree — from a university
  3. content — the amount
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. degree — an amount
  9. degree — temperature
  10. fine — all right
  11. content — happy
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. wax — to grow
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. rest — a break
  16. fine — high quality
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. deal — to handle
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. fork — in a road
  24. deal — an agreement

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