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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. craft — a skill
  3. bulb — for light
  4. rest — what's left
  5. field — a subject
  6. ground — the earth
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. ground — a position
  10. degree — from a university
  11. field — for sport
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. craft — boats
  15. pop — soda
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. field — farmland
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — music
  23. rest — a break
  24. nail — for a hammer

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