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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. present — a gift
  3. last — finally
  4. degree — temperature
  5. rule — a law
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bulb — for light
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. rule — government
  10. last — to go on
  11. present — there
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. present — the time now
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. last — final
  24. kick — in football

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