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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. bass — the fish
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. sharp — clever
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. can — to be able to
  12. bulb — for light
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bass — low music
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. drill — army training
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. degree — from a university
  19. drill — a practice
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. can — a tin
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bulb — for light
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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