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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — an amount
  3. rock — music
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pop — music
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. degree — from a university
  10. rock — a stone
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. tube — a container
  13. craft — a skill
  14. bulb — for light
  15. file — a document
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. craft — boats
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. pop — soda
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a line of people
  24. tube — the underground

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