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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. content — happy
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. degree — an amount
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. pop — soda
  9. bank — of a river
  10. squash — the sport
  11. pop — music
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bank — for money
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. bank — for money
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. squash — to crush
  19. pop — to visit
  20. current — happening now
  21. degree — temperature
  22. current — electric
  23. content — the amount
  24. current — of water

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