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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. content — the amount
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — soda
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. season — of the year
  8. land — a country
  9. content — happy
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — temperature
  12. land — to come down
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. season — in sport
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. land — ground
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. nail — for a hammer

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