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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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — temperature
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. pound — a weight
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. lean — to bend
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. toast — bread
  17. chest — a box
  18. kick — in football
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. chest — of your body
  22. lean — thin
  23. chest — of your body
  24. degree — an amount

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