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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. content — the amount
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. foot — a measure
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. degree — from a university
  7. march — music
  8. ground — a position
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. net — after costs
  11. march — the month
  12. content — happy
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. ground — crushed
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. degree — an amount
  18. rock — a stone
  19. march — the month
  20. rock — music
  21. net — in sport
  22. ground — the earth
  23. degree — temperature
  24. rock — to move gently

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