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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. chair — a leader
  3. key — the most important part
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bulb — for light
  6. kick — in football
  7. degree — temperature
  8. season — of the year
  9. degree — an amount
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bulb — for light
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. degree — from a university
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. current — happening now
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. current — electric
  19. season — in sport
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. current — of water
  22. key — for a lock
  23. key — in music
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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