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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 120 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: mark · content · calf · file · degree · bulb · bass · capital

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bass — the fish
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. capital — money
  7. content — happy
  8. capital — a city
  9. file — a document
  10. content — the amount
  11. degree — an amount
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. file — a tool
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bulb — for light
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bulb — for light
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bass — low music

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