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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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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: key · degree · mouse · hide · roll · content · stand · fork

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. degree — from a university
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. degree — temperature
  10. key — in music
  11. key — the most important part
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. content — the amount
  14. degree — an amount
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. roll — a list
  17. key — for a lock
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. roll — a cake
  23. content — happy
  24. fork — in a road

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