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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. present — the time now
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pop — soda
  9. degree — an amount
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. pop — to visit
  13. content — the amount
  14. degree — temperature
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. present — a gift
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. pop — music
  21. degree — from a university
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. content — happy
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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