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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 120 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
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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: degree · content · pit · drill · wound · racket · ground · calf

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. drill — army training
  3. degree — an amount
  4. ground — crushed
  5. drill — the tool
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. degree — temperature
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. ground — the earth
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a hole
  13. drill — a practice
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. content — the amount
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. ground — a position
  20. content — happy
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. degree — from a university
  24. content — videos and posts

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