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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: toast · rash · sharp · bank · bulb · court · content · degree

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bulb — for light
  4. court — of law
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bank — for money
  7. degree — an amount
  8. court — for sport
  9. degree — temperature
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. content — happy
  13. bank — of a river
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. court — of a king
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rash — hasty
  21. toast — bread
  22. content — the amount
  23. bank — for money
  24. rash — a series

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