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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. spring — of water
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — from a university
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. charge — in control
  8. pop — soda
  9. charge — a price
  10. degree — an amount
  11. spring — a coil
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. pop — music
  15. spring — the season
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. pop — to visit
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. vault — a safe
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. charge — electricity

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