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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. degree — an amount
  3. last — to go on
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bass — low music
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — army training
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. pitch — completely
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. staff — employees
  15. bulb — for light
  16. last — final
  17. staff — a stick
  18. bass — the fish
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. drill — a practice
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. degree — temperature
  24. staff — employees

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