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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: foot · band · ground · can · dip · rest · degree · content

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. can — to be able to
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. can — a tin
  7. degree — temperature
  8. can — a tin
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. foot — a measure
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a music group
  14. degree — an amount
  15. rest — what's left
  16. content — happy
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. rest — a break
  19. dip — to sink
  20. ground — a position
  21. degree — from a university
  22. rest — what's left
  23. content — the amount
  24. ground — the earth

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