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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: suit · season · fall · content · foot · degree · pound · ruler

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. suit — to fit
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. degree — an amount
  8. season — in sport
  9. foot — a measure
  10. suit — clothes
  11. fall — the season
  12. degree — temperature
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. fall — to drop
  15. suit — in cards
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. pound — a weight
  20. degree — from a university
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — the amount
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. fall — to drop

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