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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bulb — for light
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. wind — moving air
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — temperature
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. wind — moving air
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. degree — from a university
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. scale — size or range
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bulb — for light
  22. scale — in music
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. wind — to turn a key

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