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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bulb — for light
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. ball — a great time
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bulb — for light
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. race — a contest
  14. degree — temperature
  15. squash — the sport
  16. snap — to click
  17. last — to go on
  18. race — the arms race
  19. degree — from a university
  20. dip — to sink
  21. race — humankind
  22. squash — to crush
  23. ball — a dance
  24. last — finally

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