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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. pound — a weight
  3. spell — magic
  4. root — of a plant
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. spell — a short time
  7. root — the cause
  8. sharp — clever
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. degree — from a university
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. rock — a stone
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. spell — letters
  16. degree — temperature
  17. rock — music
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. root — of a word
  20. content — happy
  21. degree — an amount
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pound — to hit hard

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