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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. pitch — completely
  3. content — happy
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. rush — hurry
  8. track — to keep track
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. ball — a dance
  11. content — the amount
  12. degree — an amount
  13. track — a song
  14. bank — for money
  15. track — a path
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bank — of a river
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. degree — temperature
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bank — for money
  22. snap — to click
  23. ball — a great time
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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