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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. cell — in biology
  3. can — to be able to
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — an amount
  6. season — in sport
  7. key — for a lock
  8. can — a tin
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. degree — from a university
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. hand — in cards
  14. key — in music
  15. cell — a phone
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. can — a tin
  19. hand — help
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. key — the most important part
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bat — for baseball

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