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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rush — hurry
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bulb — for light
  9. degree — temperature
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. sharp — clever
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. hand — in cards
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. hand — help
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bark — to shout
  23. degree — from a university
  24. vault — a safe

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