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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. mate — a partner
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. degree — temperature
  5. dip — to sink
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. bank — of a river
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. bank — for money
  12. mate — a friend
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. content — happy
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. degree — from a university
  17. mate — to breed
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. hand — in cards
  22. mine — for digging
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bank — for money

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