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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 120 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. bulb — for light
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — from a university
  8. cap — a hat
  9. foot — a measure
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. rash — hasty
  12. court — for sport
  13. wound — an injury
  14. court — of a king
  15. degree — an amount
  16. track — to keep track
  17. bulb — for light
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. track — a path
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. track — a song
  23. cap — of ice
  24. court — of law

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