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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 120 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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. squash — the sport
  6. cap — a lid
  7. bulb — for light
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. cap — of ice
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. degree — from a university
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. degree — temperature
  15. squash — to crush
  16. deal — to handle
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. bulb — for light
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. degree — an amount
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. cap — a hat
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. plane — a tool

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