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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 120 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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. season — in sport
  3. degree — temperature
  4. season — of the year
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. degree — an amount
  10. degree — from a university
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. content — happy
  14. deal — to handle
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. rash — a series
  17. craft — boats
  18. content — the amount
  19. band — a music group
  20. craft — a skill
  21. rash — hasty
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. band — a ring

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