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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. degree — temperature
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — the amount
  9. degree — an amount
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. bound — obliged
  12. cell — a phone
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bound — certain
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. cell — in biology
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. foot — a measure
  19. pop — soda
  20. degree — from a university
  21. pop — to visit
  22. content — happy
  23. fork — in a road
  24. bound — tied together

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