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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. toast — bread
  4. content — the amount
  5. degree — an amount
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. rush — hurry
  8. game — wild animals
  9. staff — employees
  10. chip — to eat
  11. degree — from a university
  12. game — a match
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. staff — employees
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. degree — temperature
  21. content — happy
  22. chip — for betting
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. staff — a stick

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