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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.

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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: mouse · rush · net · straw · content · degree · key · wake

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. key — in music
  3. net — after costs
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. key — the most important part
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. net — for catching
  9. wake — a trail
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. content — happy
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. degree — temperature
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. content — the amount
  18. net — in sport
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. degree — from a university
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. key — for a lock

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