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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. rule — government
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. row — a line
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. bulb — for light
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the fish
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. rule — a law
  23. wake — a trail
  24. row — to paddle

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