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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bulb — for light
  3. degree — an amount
  4. content — the amount
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. rock — a stone
  7. object — an aim
  8. object — to protest
  9. cue — for pool
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. net — after costs
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. cue — a hint
  15. object — a thing
  16. net — in sport
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. degree — temperature
  19. rock — music
  20. bulb — for light
  21. content — happy
  22. cue — a signal
  23. net — for catching
  24. degree — from a university

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