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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. degree — temperature
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. squash — to crush
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. degree — an amount
  10. date — the fruit
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — in sport
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — happy
  18. board — a committee
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. board — to get on
  21. degree — from a university
  22. squash — the sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. racket — for tennis

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