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

Word bank: bulb · ruler · pit · deal · row · content · capital · degree

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  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. ruler — for measuring
  2. degree — temperature
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. degree — from a university
  5. row — a line
  6. capital — a city
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. deal — to handle
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — in a race
  11. content — happy
  12. bulb — for light
  13. content — the amount
  14. degree — an amount
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. capital — money
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bulb — for light
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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