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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. content — the amount
  3. court — for sport
  4. rash — hasty
  5. can — a tin
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. degree — from a university
  9. court — of a king
  10. can — a tin
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — temperature
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. content — happy
  16. ground — crushed
  17. rest — what's left
  18. can — to be able to
  19. rest — a break
  20. ground — the earth
  21. court — of law
  22. ground — a position
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — a series

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