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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 120 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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. can — to be able to
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. degree — temperature
  12. march — the month
  13. can — a tin
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — for light
  16. lean — thin
  17. bat — the animal
  18. march — the month
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. row — a line
  21. can — a tin
  22. march — music
  23. degree — from a university
  24. row — to paddle

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