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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. content — happy
  3. tear — from crying
  4. court — of law
  5. content — the amount
  6. pitch — completely
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. court — for sport
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. tear — to rip
  15. plane — a tool
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. tear — from crying
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. degree — an amount
  23. court — of a king
  24. plane — in geometry

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