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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. scale — in music
  5. bulb — for light
  6. degree — an amount
  7. dip — to sink
  8. degree — temperature
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. chest — of your body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. swing — to play on
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. swing — in golf
  16. mate — a partner
  17. swing — music
  18. chest — of your body
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. mate — to breed
  22. scale — size or range
  23. degree — from a university
  24. chest — a box

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