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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: can · stick · hand · degree · lean · content · bay · mouse

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. degree — from a university
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — the amount
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. can — a tin
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. degree — an amount
  16. can — to be able to
  17. degree — temperature
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. can — a tin
  21. lean — to bend
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. content — happy
  24. hand — help

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