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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — an amount
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. can — to be able to
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. degree — from a university
  7. content — happy
  8. firm — a company
  9. pop — music
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. can — a tin
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. firm — decided
  15. stem — to come from
  16. can — a tin
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — soda
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. firm — steady
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — all right
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pass — a permit

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