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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. bulb — for light
  3. degree — from a university
  4. ball — a dance
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bulb — for light
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. ball — a great time
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. content — the amount
  14. prune — to trim
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. content — happy
  23. degree — temperature
  24. sharp — clever

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