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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. race — the arms race
  4. content — the amount
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. stem — to come from
  7. race — a contest
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. degree — temperature
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bulb — for light
  13. present — there
  14. vault — a safe
  15. race — humankind
  16. deal — to handle
  17. bulb — for light
  18. degree — an amount
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. content — happy
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. present — a gift
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. present — the time now

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