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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. mate — a partner
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a friend
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. squash — the sport
  12. march — the month
  13. pass — a permit
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. march — music
  18. squash — to crush
  19. march — the month
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — from a university
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bore — to drill

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