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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. degree — an amount
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. rash — hasty
  8. degree — temperature
  9. spring — the season
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rash — a series
  12. bulb — for light
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. chest — of your body
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. spring — a coil
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — completely

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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