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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. degree — from a university
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. ball — a dance
  5. content — happy
  6. degree — an amount
  7. cap — a hat
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. snap — to click
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. root — of a word
  12. press — newspapers
  13. content — the amount
  14. cap — a lid
  15. press — a publisher
  16. ball — a great time
  17. press — to push
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a plant
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. degree — temperature
  22. cap — of ice
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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