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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. capital — money
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. degree — an amount
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bore — to drill
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. wound — an injury
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. rush — hurry
  19. degree — temperature
  20. capital — a city
  21. degree — from a university
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. vault — a safe

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