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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bulb — for light
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. rock — a stone
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. dip — to sink
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. tear — from crying
  11. row — to paddle
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — from a university
  16. tear — to rip
  17. rock — music
  18. degree — temperature
  19. row — a line
  20. tear — from crying
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. bulb — for light

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