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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  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. degree — from a university
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. degree — an amount
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. ground — a position
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bore — to tire
  11. scale — in music
  12. degree — temperature
  13. can — a tin
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. net — after costs
  16. ground — crushed
  17. scale — size or range
  18. rule — a law
  19. content — the amount
  20. rule — government
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. scale — for weighing
  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