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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bulb · track · bowl · safe · degree · last · leaves · kid

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. bulb — for light
  5. last — to go on
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. degree — temperature
  8. track — a path
  9. kid — child
  10. bulb — for light
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. track — to keep track
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. track — a song
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. last — final
  22. degree — from a university
  23. last — finally
  24. kid — to tease

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