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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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. hide — to keep secret
  4. last — finally
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. can — to be able to
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. last — to go on
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. content — happy
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. deal — to handle
  15. degree — from a university
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. last — final
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — a tin
  22. content — the amount
  23. branch — a division
  24. deal — a big deal

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