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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. degree — an amount
  3. file — a document
  4. object — an aim
  5. bulb — for light
  6. game — wild animals
  7. object — to protest
  8. bulb — for light
  9. suit — to fit
  10. suit — in cards
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a tool
  14. degree — temperature
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — of a word
  19. suit — clothes
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. game — a match
  22. object — a thing
  23. degree — from a university
  24. root — the cause

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