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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. squash — the sport
  3. key — in music
  4. lean — to bend
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bulb — for light
  10. lean — thin
  11. firm — a company
  12. key — for a lock
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. degree — from a university
  16. squash — to crush
  17. key — the most important part
  18. bulb — for light
  19. firm — steady
  20. degree — an amount
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. firm — decided
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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