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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. season — of the year
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. game — a match
  6. march — the month
  7. degree — from a university
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bulb — for light
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — temperature
  16. season — in sport
  17. band — a music group
  18. march — the month
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. march — music
  21. perch — the fish
  22. game — wild animals
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a rubber band

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