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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. degree — an amount
  5. wake — a trail
  6. swing — in golf
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — a measure
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. degree — from a university
  12. swing — music
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. deal — to handle
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pit — in a race
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. degree — temperature
  24. swing — to play on

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