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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. can — a tin
  3. spring — a coil
  4. degree — an amount
  5. track — a path
  6. track — a song
  7. can — a tin
  8. press — a publisher
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. content — happy
  11. spring — the season
  12. pound — a weight
  13. degree — from a university
  14. spring — of water
  15. press — newspapers
  16. degree — temperature
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. can — to be able to
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — a container
  22. content — the amount
  23. track — to keep track
  24. press — to push

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