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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. degree — an amount
  3. foot — a measure
  4. ball — a dance
  5. content — the amount
  6. press — to push
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. press — newspapers
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. press — a publisher
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — temperature
  16. ball — a great time
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. fine — high quality
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. content — happy
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. fine — a penalty

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