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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. content — the amount
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bulb — for light
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bass — the fish
  8. content — happy
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. board — a committee
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — an amount
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bass — low music
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wound — an injury
  23. board — to get on
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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