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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bulb — for light
  3. ball — a dance
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. season — of the year
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. degree — an amount
  8. mug — a cup
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. degree — temperature
  13. mug — a face
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. roll — a cake
  17. root — of a plant
  18. roll — a list
  19. mug — to rob
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. degree — from a university
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a word
  24. ball — a great time

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