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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 116 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. degree — temperature
  6. key — in music
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. prune — to trim
  9. lean — to bend
  10. key — the most important part
  11. prune — to trim
  12. key — for a lock
  13. lean — thin
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — from a university
  17. scale — in music
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kick — in football
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — for light
  23. scale — size or range
  24. bulb — of a plant

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