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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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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: content · jam · degree · arm · pass · foot · roll · firm

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. roll — a cake
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. firm — decided
  8. firm — steady
  9. pass — a permit
  10. degree — an amount
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. degree — from a university
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. content — happy
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. content — the amount
  22. roll — a list
  23. degree — temperature
  24. foot — a measure

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