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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rash — hasty
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — an amount
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. lean — thin
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a committee
  10. band — a ring
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. hand — in cards
  14. band — a music group
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. degree — temperature
  17. lean — to bend
  18. rash — a series
  19. hand — help
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. rash — on the skin

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