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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: content · file · squash · mate · degree · staff · hide · saw

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. degree — temperature
  3. content — happy
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. file — a document
  7. degree — an amount
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. mate — a friend
  11. degree — from a university
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mate — a partner
  14. staff — employees
  15. squash — the sport
  16. mate — to breed
  17. squash — to crush
  18. content — the amount
  19. file — a line of people
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. file — a tool
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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