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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  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. sharp — exactly
  2. rest — a break
  3. pound — a weight
  4. content — the amount
  5. degree — from a university
  6. rest — what's left
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — of ice
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. degree — an amount
  16. tube — a container
  17. sharp — clever
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cap — a lid
  21. tube — the underground
  22. rest — what's left
  23. degree — temperature
  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