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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. degree — an amount
  5. tube — a container
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. game — a match
  10. charge — electricity
  11. charge — in control
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bulb — for light
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tube — the underground
  17. fork — in a road
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. charge — a price
  24. coach — a trainer

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