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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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Word bank
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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. rest — what's left
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. snap — to click
  6. degree — temperature
  7. pit — a hole
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. degree — an amount
  13. wound — an injury
  14. foot — a measure
  15. rest — what's left
  16. perch — the fish
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bulb — for light
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. wound — an injury
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. rest — a break
  24. degree — from a university

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