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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: board · wind · jam · cap · degree · pit · bulb · bat

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bat — the animal
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. cap — a hat
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — temperature
  16. board — to get on
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. degree — from a university
  20. pit — in a race
  21. bulb — for light
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. wind — moving air
  24. cap — a lid

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