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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 120 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. spell — a short time
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — happy
  5. spell — letters
  6. degree — temperature
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. degree — from a university
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. band — a music group
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — to grow
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stand — to bear
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. degree — an amount
  19. spell — magic
  20. cue — a hint
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. band — a ring
  23. cue — for pool
  24. cue — a signal

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