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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. chest — of your body
  3. firm — steady
  4. saw — the tool
  5. firm — a company
  6. cold — not warm
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bulb — for light
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pop — soda
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. pop — to visit
  16. cold — an illness
  17. bulb — for light
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. firm — decided
  21. pop — music
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. degree — temperature
  24. saw — the tool

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