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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. degree — temperature
  3. race — humankind
  4. spring — the season
  5. pit — a hole
  6. game — a match
  7. content — happy
  8. pit — in a race
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. content — the amount
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. race — the arms race
  14. degree — from a university
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. rock — a stone
  18. degree — an amount
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. game — wild animals
  21. rock — music
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. race — a contest
  24. leaves — to go away

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