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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. mate — a friend
  3. degree — from a university
  4. staff — employees
  5. bulb — for light
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. sharp — clever
  10. mate — to breed
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. mate — a partner
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. staff — a stick
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — a city
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bat — the animal
  22. staff — employees
  23. capital — money
  24. ruler — a monarch

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