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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. spell — a short time
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. rash — a series
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rash — hasty
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. degree — temperature
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. spell — magic
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rush — hurry
  19. spell — letters
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bulb — for light
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. rush — to hurry

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