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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — an amount
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. field — for sport
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. field — a subject
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. field — farmland
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. press — to push
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. degree — from a university
  15. rule — a law
  16. content — happy
  17. content — the amount
  18. rule — government
  19. bulb — for light
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bulb — for light
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — a publisher

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