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

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. bulb — for light
  3. hand — in cards
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. hand — help
  6. bulb — for light
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. degree — from a university
  9. game — a match
  10. mug — a face
  11. game — wild animals
  12. mug — to rob
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. degree — temperature
  16. stem — to come from
  17. degree — an amount
  18. stem — of a plant

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