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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pit — in a race
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. chest — a box
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bear — the animal
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. pit — a hole
  16. bound — certain
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bound — tied together
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. chest — of your body
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bulb — for light
  23. ruler — a monarch
  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