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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 116 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — temperature
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. wound — an injury
  6. ball — a dance
  7. capital — money
  8. wound — an injury
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. court — of a king
  11. mate — a partner
  12. court — for sport
  13. bulb — for light
  14. branch — a division
  15. ball — a great time
  16. court — of law
  17. degree — from a university
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. capital — a city
  21. mate — a friend
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. mate — to breed

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