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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a lid
  4. perch — the fish
  5. bulb — for light
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. degree — an amount
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cold — an illness
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bulb — for light
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. rock — a stone
  17. cold — not warm
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. rock — music
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — temperature

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