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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — soda
  4. content — happy
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. content — the amount
  7. rest — what's left
  8. can — to be able to
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. can — a tin
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. degree — temperature
  13. rest — a break
  14. fine — high quality
  15. lie — to recline
  16. fine — all right
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. rest — what's left
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. pop — music
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. degree — from a university
  24. can — a tin

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