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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. net — after costs
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. key — for a lock
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bulb — for light
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. key — the most important part
  9. can — a tin
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. key — in music
  12. can — to be able to
  13. cap — a lid
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. cap — a hat
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — for catching
  18. degree — from a university
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. can — a tin
  22. cap — of ice
  23. bulb — for light
  24. degree — an amount

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