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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. pitch — completely
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. cap — a hat
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bass — low music
  13. scale — in music
  14. season — in sport
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — an amount
  19. season — of the year
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bass — the fish
  24. degree — temperature

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