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

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  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. degree — temperature
  2. rock — music
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. toast — bread
  6. rock — a stone
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. chest — a box
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. degree — an amount
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  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