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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. can — a tin
  3. degree — temperature
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. degree — an amount
  7. club — a group
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. degree — from a university
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. club — for dancing
  14. game — a match
  15. game — wild animals
  16. chip — for betting
  17. can — to be able to
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. can — a tin
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. bulb — for light
  23. chip — to eat
  24. club — for golf

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