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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: degree · content · bass · wind · dip · fork · stock · pitcher

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. degree — temperature
  3. fork — in a road
  4. bass — low music
  5. wind — moving air
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. stock — shares
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. content — happy
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bass — the fish
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. degree — an amount
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. degree — from a university

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