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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. degree — temperature
  5. track — a path
  6. track — to keep track
  7. rush — hurry
  8. firm — a company
  9. degree — an amount
  10. firm — steady
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rule — a law
  13. chest — a box
  14. ground — a position
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. firm — decided
  17. track — a song
  18. bulb — for light
  19. degree — from a university
  20. ground — the earth
  21. chest — of your body
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rule — government
  24. ground — crushed

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