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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: pitcher · bay · content · mouse · track · rock · degree · ball

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. track — a song
  3. degree — from a university
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — an amount
  9. content — the amount
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. ball — a dance
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — a stone
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a path
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. content — happy
  24. rock — to move gently

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