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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  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. content — videos and posts
  2. tear — to rip
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — from a university
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. degree — an amount
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. content — the amount
  12. craft — boats
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. ball — a dance
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. craft — a skill
  18. tear — from crying
  19. foot — a measure
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. tear — from crying
  22. ball — a great time
  23. mine — for digging
  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