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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 120 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: content · pitch · mug · snap · bay · cap · ground · degree

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. ground — the earth
  4. snap — to click
  5. pitch — completely
  6. degree — temperature
  7. content — the amount
  8. cap — of ice
  9. mug — to rob
  10. degree — an amount
  11. ground — a position
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mug — a face
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. cap — a hat
  16. mug — a cup
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. ground — crushed
  21. content — happy
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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