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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  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. content — happy
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. degree — from a university
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. stand — to bear
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. saw — the tool
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. content — the amount
  14. degree — an amount
  15. chip — for betting
  16. season — of the year
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. saw — the tool
  22. season — in sport
  23. chip — to eat
  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