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

Word bank: temple · bulb · row · degree · ruler · cold · toast · pop

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. toast — bread
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bulb — for light
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. degree — an amount
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. cold — not warm
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. degree — from a university
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pop — soda
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — to paddle
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. pop — to visit
  21. row — a line
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. pop — music
  24. cold — an illness

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