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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 120 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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bulb — for light
  4. staff — employees
  5. chip — for betting
  6. shower — to wash
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. staff — employees
  9. bear — the animal
  10. chip — to eat
  11. degree — temperature
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. degree — an amount
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. shower — rain
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — happy
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. bulb — for light

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