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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 116 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: chip · suit · content · season · degree · hide · cell · mark

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. suit — in cards
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. chip — for betting
  5. season — of the year
  6. mark — a grade
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — the amount
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. content — happy
  11. cell — in biology
  12. degree — from a university
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. mark — a trace
  19. degree — temperature
  20. cell — a phone
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. suit — to fit
  23. season — in sport
  24. suit — clothes

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