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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: content · bank · racket · snap · mouse · dip · kid · degree

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. degree — from a university
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. content — the amount
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. bank — of a river
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. content — happy
  9. bank — for money
  10. degree — an amount
  11. snap — to click
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bank — for money
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. degree — temperature
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. dip — a sauce

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