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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: cabinet · bay · degree · object · temple · wound · content · cue

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. degree — from a university
  3. content — the amount
  4. object — an aim
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. object — to protest
  10. cue — for pool
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. degree — temperature
  20. object — a thing
  21. cue — a signal
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. wound — an injury
  24. content — happy

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