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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: march · staff · mouse · degree · content · rest · present · fork

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. fork — in a road
  3. staff — a stick
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. content — the amount
  8. march — the month
  9. content — happy
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. rest — what's left
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. march — the month
  14. rest — what's left
  15. present — the time now
  16. degree — from a university
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. present — a gift
  19. rest — a break
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. degree — an amount
  22. present — there
  23. march — music
  24. degree — temperature

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