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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bulb — for light
  4. degree — from a university
  5. band — a ring
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. pass — a permit
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bulb — for light
  11. swing — in golf
  12. chest — a box
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — an amount
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cap — a hat
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a music group
  20. snap — to click
  21. swing — music
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. swing — to play on

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