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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 · wind · degree · wound · object · sharp · firm · pit

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. content — happy
  3. object — a thing
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. wound — an injury
  6. degree — from a university
  7. wind — moving air
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. pit — in a race
  11. degree — an amount
  12. firm — a company
  13. degree — temperature
  14. sharp — clever
  15. content — the amount
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. firm — steady
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — a hole
  21. object — to protest
  22. wind — moving air
  23. object — an aim
  24. wound — an injury

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