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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: content · deal · arm · court · rush · mark · bulb · degree

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. degree — from a university
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — a grade
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rush — hurry
  8. court — of law
  9. content — the amount
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. court — of a king
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bulb — for light
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. deal — to handle
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. content — happy
  24. content — videos and posts

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