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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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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a great time
  4. content — the amount
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. ball — a dance
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. pop — soda
  18. content — happy
  19. bulb — for light
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pop — music
  22. bulb — for light
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. degree — temperature

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