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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: content · rush · pitcher · mine · can · degree · wound · pass

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. mine — for digging
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. degree — an amount
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. degree — temperature
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. can — to be able to
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. degree — from a university
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. can — a tin
  19. content — happy
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. can — a tin
  22. content — the amount
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. wound — an injury

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