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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bulb — for light
  3. tube — a container
  4. squash — the sport
  5. current — electric
  6. degree — from a university
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. stem — to come from
  10. pit — a hole
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bulb — for light
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. current — happening now
  17. content — happy
  18. squash — to crush
  19. current — of water
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. content — the amount
  22. degree — an amount
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. pit — in a race

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