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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. band — a music group
  4. chip — to eat
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. chip — for betting
  8. net — in sport
  9. content — the amount
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. band — a ring
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. net — for catching
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — an amount
  21. content — happy
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. net — after costs
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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