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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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Word bank
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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. root — of a plant
  5. deal — to handle
  6. object — a thing
  7. pitch — completely
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. content — happy
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. degree — an amount
  13. object — an aim
  14. fork — in a road
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — the amount
  17. degree — temperature
  18. object — to protest
  19. degree — from a university
  20. root — of a word
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. root — the cause
  24. fork — to eat with

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