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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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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: degree · dip · firm · hand · suit · vault · content · kid

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. vault — a safe
  3. suit — in cards
  4. hand — in cards
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. firm — steady
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. kid — child
  9. hand — help
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. suit — to fit
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. suit — clothes
  16. degree — an amount
  17. kid — to tease
  18. degree — temperature
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. firm — decided
  21. content — happy
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. degree — from a university
  24. content — the amount

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