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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. roll — a list
  3. degree — an amount
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. track — a path
  6. bulb — for light
  7. roll — a cake
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. track — to keep track
  10. ground — the earth
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bear — the animal
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. ground — a position
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bear — the animal
  21. track — a song
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rush — hurry
  24. bear — to put up with

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