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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. pound — a weight
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bass — the fish
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. spell — magic
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bulb — for light
  12. spell — a short time
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. spell — letters
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bulb — for light
  21. toast — bread
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bass — low music
  24. sharp — clever

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