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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. cap — of ice
  5. current — of water
  6. bat — the animal
  7. current — happening now
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. perch — the fish
  11. current — electric
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. cap — a lid
  18. degree — from a university
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cap — a hat
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bulb — for light
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. degree — an amount

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