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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. court — for sport
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. capital — money
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. season — of the year
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bore — to drill
  10. court — of a king
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. wake — a trail
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. degree — an amount
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. court — of law
  18. capital — a city
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. season — in sport
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bore — to tire
  24. degree — temperature

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