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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: bulb · content · mark · suit · pound · degree · track · row

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. track — a song
  3. degree — temperature
  4. mark — a trace
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bulb — for light
  7. suit — in cards
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. content — happy
  10. row — a line
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. mark — a grade
  13. suit — to fit
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bulb — for light
  18. row — to paddle
  19. suit — clothes
  20. pound — a weight
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a path
  24. degree — from a university

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