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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  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. bulb — for light
  2. degree — from a university
  3. cap — a lid
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. club — a group
  7. row — to paddle
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. club — for golf
  10. cap — of ice
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. dip — to sink
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. degree — an amount
  18. cap — a hat
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — a line
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. club — for dancing
  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