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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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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: racket · content · object · fork · bear · chip · wake · degree

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. object — to protest
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. degree — an amount
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. bear — the animal
  10. object — an aim
  11. object — a thing
  12. degree — from a university
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. degree — temperature
  16. content — happy
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. fork — in a road
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. chip — for betting
  24. content — the amount

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