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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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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. can — a tin
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — for light
  9. can — a tin
  10. key — the most important part
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — an amount
  13. dip — to sink
  14. can — to be able to
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. pop — music
  18. band — a ring
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. degree — temperature
  22. key — for a lock
  23. band — a music group
  24. key — in music

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