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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 · arm · content · ball · vault · press · tube · ground

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. degree — from a university
  4. press — a publisher
  5. ground — crushed
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. ground — a position
  8. degree — temperature
  9. press — newspapers
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. press — to push
  15. ball — a dance
  16. vault — a safe
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. tube — the underground
  19. content — the amount
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. ground — the earth
  22. degree — an amount
  23. content — happy
  24. tube — in a tire

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