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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. content — the amount
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. degree — temperature
  9. band — a music group
  10. prune — to trim
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. prune — to trim
  13. band — a ring
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. degree — from a university
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. degree — an amount
  20. toast — bread
  21. content — happy
  22. rest — a break
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. rest — what's left

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