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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: jam · hand · mug · toast · march · lie · degree · content

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. hand — help
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. march — the month
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. mug — a cup
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. degree — an amount
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. content — happy
  14. mug — to rob
  15. degree — from a university
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. mug — a face
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. content — the amount
  20. hand — in cards
  21. lie — to recline
  22. degree — temperature
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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