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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 120 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bulb — for light
  3. key — the most important part
  4. cap — of ice
  5. key — for a lock
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. spell — magic
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — clever
  13. degree — from a university
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. degree — an amount
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bear — the animal
  18. spell — a short time
  19. degree — temperature
  20. spell — letters
  21. cap — a lid
  22. key — in music
  23. cap — a hat
  24. bulb — for light

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