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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 124 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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — temperature
  6. hand — in cards
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. staff — employees
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bulb — for light
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. staff — a stick
  15. scale — in music
  16. staff — employees
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. hand — help
  22. degree — from a university
  23. scale — size or range
  24. ruler — for measuring

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