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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. season — in sport
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. content — happy
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. land — ground
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. season — of the year
  15. degree — from a university
  16. snap — to click
  17. land — to come down
  18. board — a committee
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — an amount
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. land — a country
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. board — to get on

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