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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. board — to get on
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bound — tied together
  9. degree — from a university
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bulb — for light
  12. pit — a hole
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. cold — an illness
  16. bulb — for light
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. degree — an amount
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — certain
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. cold — not warm
  24. board — a committee

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