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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — temperature
  3. face — to confront
  4. bass — low music
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. pass — a permit
  7. content — the amount
  8. face — part of the head
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. snap — to click
  14. bass — the fish
  15. stem — to come from
  16. content — happy
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. face — to point toward
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. degree — an amount

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