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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bulb — for light
  3. sharp — clever
  4. pit — in a race
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bound — certain
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. ground — a position
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. band — a ring
  13. kid — child
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pit — a hole
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bound — obliged
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. degree — an amount
  21. ground — the earth
  22. kid — to tease
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bound — tied together

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