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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 120 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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. track — a path
  6. degree — temperature
  7. track — a song
  8. content — happy
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. pass — a permit
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bass — the fish
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. charge — a price
  19. content — the amount
  20. bass — low music
  21. charge — electricity
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. degree — from a university
  24. charge — in control

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