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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: pass · court · jam · temple · degree · stock · bore · content

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. court — of law
  4. bore — to tire
  5. pass — a permit
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. degree — temperature
  8. court — of a king
  9. degree — an amount
  10. content — happy
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. content — the amount
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. court — for sport
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — goods
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. bore — to drill

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