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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: snap · ball · spring · degree · deal · pit · foot · bulb

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bulb — for light
  7. degree — an amount
  8. deal — to handle
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. ball — a dance
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. spring — a coil
  14. pit — in a race
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. degree — from a university
  17. degree — temperature
  18. spring — the season
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. snap — to click
  21. foot — a measure
  22. ball — a great time
  23. spring — of water
  24. foot — part of the body

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