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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. pop — to visit
  3. degree — from a university
  4. content — the amount
  5. track — a path
  6. cue — a signal
  7. snap — to click
  8. degree — an amount
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. track — to keep track
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — soda
  13. cue — for pool
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. cold — an illness
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. toast — bread
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — not warm
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. track — a song
  23. cue — a hint
  24. content — happy

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