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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. degree — an amount
  3. present — there
  4. season — of the year
  5. degree — from a university
  6. present — a gift
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. present — the time now
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. degree — temperature
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. content — happy
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bass — low music
  15. key — for a lock
  16. content — the amount
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — in music
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. season — in sport
  24. calf — a young animal

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