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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bulb — for light
  10. hand — help
  11. degree — an amount
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. mine — for digging
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bear — the animal
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — rain
  21. rest — a break
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bulb — of a plant

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