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

Word bank: fork · pass · cell · degree · bass · deal · content · mug

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bass — low music
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. pass — a permit
  6. mug — to rob
  7. bass — the fish
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. fork — in a road
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in biology
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. mug — a face
  14. deal — to handle
  15. mug — a cup
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. degree — from a university
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. content — the amount
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. content — happy
  24. degree — temperature

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