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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. degree — an amount
  4. face — part of the head
  5. lie — to recline
  6. toast — bread
  7. face — to confront
  8. charge — electricity
  9. hand — in cards
  10. face — to point toward
  11. charge — in control
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. land — ground
  14. hand — help
  15. land — a country
  16. bulb — for light
  17. land — to come down
  18. charge — a price
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — from a university
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. lie — an untruth

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