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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: racket · craft · roll · hide · degree · content · date · jam

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. date — the fruit
  9. degree — an amount
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. degree — temperature
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. content — happy
  15. content — the amount
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. roll — a cake
  18. degree — from a university
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. craft — a skill
  21. roll — a list
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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