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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cap — of ice
  5. content — happy
  6. cue — for pool
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. degree — from a university
  9. saw — the tool
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. saw — the tool
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. degree — temperature
  16. rush — hurry
  17. lean — to bend
  18. lean — thin
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cue — a hint
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. degree — an amount

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