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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — an amount
  3. cap — a lid
  4. file — a tool
  5. bulb — for light
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. row — a line
  10. file — a line of people
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — to paddle
  13. degree — from a university
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. file — a document
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — completely
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. cap — a hat
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. cap — of ice
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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