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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — from a university
  4. cap — a lid
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. rock — music
  8. kid — to tease
  9. spell — letters
  10. content — the amount
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. cap — a hat
  13. board — a committee
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. spell — magic
  17. board — to get on
  18. content — happy
  19. rock — a stone
  20. foot — a measure
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. kid — child
  23. degree — an amount
  24. cap — of ice

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