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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. suit — to fit
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. kick — in football
  7. wake — a trail
  8. craft — a skill
  9. degree — from a university
  10. mug — a face
  11. suit — clothes
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. mug — to rob
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. game — wild animals
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. mug — a cup
  18. game — a match
  19. bulb — for light
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bulb — for light
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. craft — boats

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