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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bulb — for light
  4. rest — what's left
  5. degree — an amount
  6. net — after costs
  7. race — a contest
  8. stand — to bear
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — soda
  11. mate — a partner
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. race — the arms race
  14. pop — to visit
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bulb — for light
  18. race — humankind
  19. rest — a break
  20. mate — to breed
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. mate — a friend

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