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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 116 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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. march — the month
  3. suit — in cards
  4. cap — of ice
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. march — music
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. content — the amount
  10. pound — a weight
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — a hat
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. degree — an amount
  15. march — the month
  16. suit — to fit
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. suit — clothes
  19. shower — rain
  20. dip — to sink
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — temperature
  23. shower — to wash
  24. content — happy

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