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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bulb — for light
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. tear — from crying
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. degree — temperature
  9. face — to confront
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. degree — from a university
  12. face — to point toward
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. saw — the tool
  17. ball — a dance
  18. saw — the tool
  19. ball — a great time
  20. face — part of the head
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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