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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: mark · bat · roll · kick · degree · wax · key · content

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bat — the animal
  5. key — in music
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. kick — in football
  8. mark — a grade
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. key — for a lock
  16. content — the amount
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. content — happy
  20. wax — to grow
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — an amount
  24. mark — a trace

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