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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. land — a country
  3. can — to be able to
  4. staff — employees
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. season — of the year
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — from a university
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. content — happy
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. staff — employees
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. can — a tin
  16. tear — from crying
  17. season — in sport
  18. can — a tin
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. staff — a stick
  21. land — to come down
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. degree — an amount
  24. land — ground

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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