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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 120 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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. tear — from crying
  4. degree — from a university
  5. ground — the earth
  6. degree — an amount
  7. tear — from crying
  8. chip — to eat
  9. wound — an injury
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bulb — for light
  12. tear — to rip
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — boats
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. chip — for betting
  20. ground — a position
  21. wound — an injury
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. bulb — for light

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