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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fall — to drop
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bulb — for light
  9. kid — to tease
  10. last — final
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. degree — from a university
  13. fall — the season
  14. mate — a partner
  15. degree — an amount
  16. kid — child
  17. mate — a friend
  18. last — finally
  19. scale — in music
  20. fall — to drop
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. scale — size or range

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