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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. deal — to handle
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. content — happy
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. kick — in football
  12. content — the amount
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — low music
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — a grade
  22. degree — an amount
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. degree — temperature

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