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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 116 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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. degree — temperature
  3. spell — magic
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. branch — a division
  9. content — happy
  10. degree — an amount
  11. pitch — completely
  12. cap — of ice
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. content — the amount
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. cap — a hat
  18. degree — from a university
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — letters
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. cap — a lid

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