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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mark — a grade
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mark — a trace
  10. degree — from a university
  11. pit — a hole
  12. capital — a city
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. chest — a box
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bulb — for light
  21. degree — temperature
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. capital — money
  24. pit — in a race

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