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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.

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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. degree — an amount
  3. board — to get on
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. degree — temperature
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. field — for sport
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. board — a committee
  13. degree — from a university
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bore — to tire
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. game — a match
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. game — wild animals
  21. field — a subject
  22. bore — to drill
  23. field — farmland
  24. bore — gave birth

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