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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: file · track · content · degree · cue · ground · clip · object

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. file — a tool
  3. object — to protest
  4. clip — a video
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — temperature
  7. clip — to cut
  8. ground — crushed
  9. file — a line of people
  10. cue — a signal
  11. track — a song
  12. ground — the earth
  13. object — a thing
  14. track — to keep track
  15. clip — for paper
  16. track — a path
  17. object — an aim
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. cue — a hint
  20. ground — a position
  21. cue — for pool
  22. file — a document
  23. content — happy
  24. degree — from a university

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