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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. object — a thing
  5. rush — hurry
  6. degree — from a university
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. ground — the earth
  9. scale — size or range
  10. rock — a stone
  11. object — to protest
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. rock — music
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. ground — a position
  16. degree — temperature
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. scale — in music
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. content — happy
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. content — the amount
  23. degree — an amount
  24. object — an aim

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