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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. bulb — for light
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. degree — from a university
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. degree — an amount
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. fall — the season
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. sharp — clever
  14. date — the fruit
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. fall — to drop
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. fall — to drop
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bulb — for light
  24. degree — temperature

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