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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 116 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. game — a match
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. pop — to visit
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. bulb — for light
  7. degree — from a university
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. plane — a tool
  10. object — a thing
  11. object — to protest
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. degree — temperature
  14. object — an aim
  15. race — the arms race
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. game — wild animals
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pop — music
  21. pop — soda
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — a contest
  24. leaves — lets stay

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