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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. roll — a list
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — an amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. foot — a measure
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. roll — a cake
  17. content — the amount
  18. degree — from a university
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. drill — army training
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. content — happy
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bowl — a dish

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