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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. degree — an amount
  3. mug — to rob
  4. toast — bread
  5. chip — to eat
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. craft — boats
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. mug — a face
  11. degree — temperature
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. mug — a cup
  14. bulb — for light
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a cake
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. craft — a skill
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. degree — from a university
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. chip — for betting
  24. roll — a list

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