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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — an amount
  5. mug — to rob
  6. cap — a hat
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — in sport
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. degree — temperature
  12. cap — of ice
  13. pop — music
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mug — a face
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. cap — a lid
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. pop — to visit
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. content — happy
  24. pop — soda

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