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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — low music
  5. court — of law
  6. bulb — for light
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. court — for sport
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. deal — to handle
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. degree — from a university
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. court — of a king

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