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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: degree · arm · firm · content · craft · bowl · kid · charge

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. firm — steady
  3. charge — in control
  4. craft — boats
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. content — the amount
  7. craft — a skill
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. firm — decided
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. content — happy
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. charge — a price
  20. degree — from a university
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — an amount
  23. charge — electricity
  24. kid — to tease

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