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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.

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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. degree — from a university
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — there
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. track — a path
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. tear — to rip
  12. track — to keep track
  13. degree — temperature
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. degree — an amount
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. tear — from crying
  19. track — a song
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bat — the animal
  22. present — the time now
  23. scale — in music
  24. tear — from crying

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