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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 116 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 the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. content — happy
  5. court — for sport
  6. fall — to drop
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. court — of law
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. degree — from a university
  11. fall — to drop
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. content — the amount
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bark — to shout
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bass — low music
  18. degree — an amount
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. court — of a king
  24. leaves — to go away

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