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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. pop — soda
  4. degree — from a university
  5. rock — a stone
  6. dip — to sink
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rock — music
  10. bulb — for light
  11. degree — an amount
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. kid — child
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. track — a song
  17. pop — music
  18. track — a path
  19. degree — temperature
  20. track — to keep track
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. craft — boats
  23. craft — a skill
  24. kid — to tease

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