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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. degree — from a university
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. degree — temperature
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. court — for sport
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. court — of law
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — happy
  13. pop — soda
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. pop — to visit
  18. degree — an amount
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. court — of a king
  21. pop — music
  22. season — of the year
  23. content — the amount
  24. stand — to bear

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