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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. degree — temperature
  4. content — the amount
  5. drill — army training
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. deal — to handle
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. chip — to eat
  13. foot — a measure
  14. drill — a practice
  15. chip — for betting
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. content — happy
  18. degree — from a university
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. drill — the tool
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. deal — an agreement

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