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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  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. bulb — for light
  2. wind — moving air
  3. degree — from a university
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. degree — an amount
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — obliged
  13. court — of law
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. court — for sport
  16. wind — moving air
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. court — of a king
  19. bulb — for light
  20. track — a path
  21. track — a song
  22. track — to keep track
  23. coach — a trainer
  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