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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: sharp · degree · file · leaves · content · kid · jam · game

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. file — a document
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. degree — an amount
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. degree — temperature
  7. kid — child
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. kid — to tease
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. file — a tool
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. game — a match
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. file — a line of people
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. content — happy
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. content — the amount
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. degree — from a university
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. sharp — clever

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