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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. degree — from a university
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. drill — a practice
  5. cell — in biology
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. degree — temperature
  9. drill — army training
  10. cell — a phone
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — low music
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bass — the fish
  20. drill — the tool
  21. degree — an amount
  22. scale — in music
  23. bulb — for light
  24. hide — animal skin

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