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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. degree — temperature
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. degree — from a university
  5. content — the amount
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. can — to be able to
  9. degree — an amount
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pop — to visit
  15. can — a tin
  16. pop — soda
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a city
  20. content — happy
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. can — a tin
  24. bulb — for light

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