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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 · content · ruler · plane · kid · fork · clip

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. plane — a tool
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — to tease
  6. degree — an amount
  7. fork — in a road
  8. clip — to cut
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. content — happy
  12. content — the amount
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. degree — from a university
  15. kid — child
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. degree — temperature
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — for paper
  24. dip — to sink

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