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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. season — in sport
  3. degree — temperature
  4. net — after costs
  5. rest — what's left
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. rest — what's left
  11. degree — from a university
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. rest — a break
  14. mark — a trace
  15. degree — an amount
  16. net — in sport
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mark — a grade
  21. season — of the year
  22. bulb — for light
  23. net — for catching
  24. bulb — of a plant

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