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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. content — the amount
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bass — low music
  6. content — happy
  7. pound — a weight
  8. degree — from a university
  9. tear — from crying
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. tear — to rip
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. club — a group
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. bass — the fish
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. club — for dancing
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. club — for golf

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