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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: content · plane · deal · chair · degree · pitcher · safe · temple

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. degree — an amount
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. plane — a tool
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. chair — a leader
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. degree — from a university
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. degree — temperature
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. deal — to handle
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. content — the amount
  24. temple — a place of worship

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