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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
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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: staff · season · degree · content · firm · squash · scale · charge

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. degree — an amount
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. staff — a stick
  5. firm — steady
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — in music
  8. season — of the year
  9. content — happy
  10. firm — a company
  11. degree — temperature
  12. content — the amount
  13. season — in sport
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. scale — size or range
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. charge — a price
  18. charge — in control
  19. degree — from a university
  20. staff — employees
  21. squash — to crush
  22. firm — decided
  23. charge — electricity
  24. squash — the sport

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