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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  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. fan — a supporter
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. degree — temperature
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. bulb — for light
  8. pass — a permit
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — for digging
  17. degree — from a university
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. degree — an amount
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pitch — completely

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