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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
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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: content · firm · ground · temple · ball · arm · degree · last

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — happy
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a great time
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. ground — a position
  9. last — finally
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. firm — a company
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. degree — an amount
  15. content — the amount
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. firm — decided
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — final
  21. ground — crushed
  22. degree — temperature
  23. firm — steady
  24. arm — a part of something

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