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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  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. bass — low music
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. land — to come down
  11. degree — temperature
  12. mark — a grade
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. mark — a trace
  15. bear — the animal
  16. content — the amount
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. land — ground
  21. net — after costs
  22. degree — an amount
  23. land — a country
  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