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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: fork · content · racket · pitcher · mouse · degree · lie · bore

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bore — to tire
  3. degree — from a university
  4. fork — in a road
  5. degree — temperature
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bore — to drill
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. lie — to recline
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. content — happy
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. content — the amount
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. mouse — the animal

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