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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. last — to go on
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. foot — a measure
  5. rule — government
  6. degree — from a university
  7. last — finally
  8. file — a line of people
  9. degree — temperature
  10. chair — a leader
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. file — a tool
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. file — a document
  16. degree — an amount
  17. rule — a law
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. last — final
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. bulb — for light
  24. rule — to rule out

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