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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 120 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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rush — hurry
  7. fine — high quality
  8. degree — from a university
  9. last — finally
  10. bulb — for light
  11. plane — a tool
  12. fine — all right
  13. last — final
  14. scale — in music
  15. last — to go on
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. scale — size or range
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. degree — an amount
  21. stand — to bear
  22. degree — temperature
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. scale — for weighing

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