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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fork — in a road
  4. charge — electricity
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. degree — an amount
  7. tube — a container
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. degree — temperature
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. charge — in control
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. mine — for digging
  15. degree — from a university
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. bulb — for light
  20. chair — a leader
  21. charge — a price
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. tube — the underground
  24. chair — to sit on

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