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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 120 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — an amount
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. degree — temperature
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. mate — to breed
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. cell — a phone
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — electric
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. cell — in biology
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. content — the amount
  15. mate — a partner
  16. suit — clothes
  17. foot — a measure
  18. suit — to fit
  19. current — of water
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mate — a friend
  22. suit — in cards
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. content — happy

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