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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. object — to protest
  3. degree — an amount
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. degree — temperature
  6. shower — rain
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. object — an aim
  9. bulb — for light
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. object — a thing
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. fine — all right
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. fine — high quality
  24. shower — to wash

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