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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 120 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 · kid · plane · can · drill · degree · mark · bay

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. drill — the tool
  3. mark — a trace
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — an amount
  6. can — to be able to
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. can — a tin
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. plane — a tool
  13. content — happy
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. kid — to tease
  16. can — a tin
  17. kid — child
  18. drill — army training
  19. degree — temperature
  20. drill — a practice
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. plane — an aircraft

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