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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bulb — for light
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bound — tied together
  5. land — ground
  6. degree — an amount
  7. ball — a great time
  8. bear — the animal
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — the earth
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bound — certain
  13. bulb — for light
  14. ground — crushed
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. land — to come down
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bear — the animal
  23. land — a country
  24. bound — obliged

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