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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. degree — an amount
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. content — happy
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. spell — a short time
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. pop — soda
  12. pitch — completely
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — magic
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. content — the amount
  19. degree — from a university
  20. pop — to visit
  21. degree — temperature
  22. fine — all right
  23. fine — high quality
  24. arm — part of the body

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