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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 116 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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. track — a song
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cap — a lid
  6. board — to get on
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cold — an illness
  9. track — to keep track
  10. cold — not warm
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. degree — temperature
  16. track — a path
  17. degree — an amount
  18. cap — a hat
  19. bulb — for light
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — a committee
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. degree — from a university

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