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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. suit — to fit
  4. suit — clothes
  5. content — happy
  6. tear — from crying
  7. degree — temperature
  8. season — of the year
  9. ground — crushed
  10. degree — an amount
  11. suit — in cards
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. content — the amount
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. season — in sport
  17. ground — a position
  18. mate — a partner
  19. ground — the earth
  20. tear — from crying
  21. degree — from a university
  22. mate — a friend
  23. tear — to rip
  24. mate — to breed

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