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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. degree — temperature
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pitch — completely
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bore — to drill
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — in golf
  17. content — the amount
  18. bore — to tire
  19. lean — to bend
  20. content — happy
  21. lean — thin
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. degree — from a university

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