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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: can · bass · stick · rule · degree · content · cabinet · perch

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. rule — a law
  5. can — a tin
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the fish
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rule — government
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. degree — from a university
  16. content — the amount
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. degree — an amount
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. content — happy
  22. degree — temperature
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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