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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · content · pitch · rock · wake · bulb · present · last

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. present — the time now
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. content — the amount
  6. degree — from a university
  7. present — there
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. last — finally
  10. rock — music
  11. wake — a trail
  12. last — to go on
  13. content — happy
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. present — a gift
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bulb — for light
  19. degree — an amount
  20. rock — a stone
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. degree — temperature
  23. last — final
  24. pitch — completely

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