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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. court — of law
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. degree — temperature
  5. court — of a king
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. mate — to breed
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. last — final
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. mate — a friend
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — high quality
  16. degree — from a university
  17. court — for sport
  18. mate — a partner
  19. last — finally
  20. rule — a law
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. last — to go on
  23. rule — government
  24. degree — an amount

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