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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bulb — for light
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — a short time
  7. fall — to drop
  8. degree — temperature
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bulb — for light
  12. cue — a signal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. track — a path
  16. cue — a hint
  17. degree — from a university
  18. fall — the season
  19. content — happy
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. cue — for pool
  22. track — a song
  23. fall — to drop
  24. calf — of the leg

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