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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bulb — for light
  4. degree — from a university
  5. march — music
  6. degree — an amount
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. rock — a stone
  10. degree — temperature
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. march — the month
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. chest — a box
  16. bulb — for light
  17. march — the month
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rock — music
  21. rash — a series
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. chest — of your body

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