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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.

Make a worksheet

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: pitcher · fork · degree · content · straw · rush · racket · wake

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. degree — temperature
  5. content — the amount
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. content — happy
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. fork — in a road
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. degree — an amount
  17. wake — a trail
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. degree — from a university
  24. pitcher — a jug

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