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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. content — happy
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. content — the amount
  5. bulb — for light
  6. ground — crushed
  7. wake — a trail
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. degree — temperature
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. degree — from a university
  20. ground — a position
  21. bulb — for light
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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