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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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468
Word bank
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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  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. game — a match
  2. drill — army training
  3. kid — child
  4. degree — from a university
  5. bulb — for light
  6. suit — to fit
  7. suit — clothes
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. pass — a permit
  10. suit — in cards
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. drill — a practice
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bulb — for light
  16. drill — the tool
  17. game — wild animals
  18. kid — to tease
  19. degree — an amount
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. cell — in biology
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  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