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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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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 · degree · bowl · saw · nail · mouse · rest · dip

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. degree — an amount
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. rest — what's left
  6. content — the amount
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. dip — to sink
  11. rest — a break
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rest — what's left
  18. degree — from a university
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. degree — temperature

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