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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. content — the amount
  3. key — in music
  4. charge — in control
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. degree — an amount
  7. key — for a lock
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. charge — a price
  10. last — to go on
  11. key — the most important part
  12. content — happy
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. charge — electricity
  16. bass — the fish
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. last — final
  20. last — finally
  21. bass — low music
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. degree — from a university

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