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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  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. season — in sport
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. degree — from a university
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bark — to shout
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. degree — an amount
  12. ground — crushed
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. ground — a position
  16. squash — the sport
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. season — of the year
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. season — to add flavour
  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