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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: mug · game · rule · bulb · race · trunk · pound · degree

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. degree — from a university
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. degree — temperature
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. degree — an amount
  9. rule — government
  10. race — humankind
  11. bulb — for light
  12. race — the arms race
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. mug — a face
  15. bulb — for light
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. race — a contest
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. mug — to rob
  22. pound — a weight
  23. game — a match
  24. pound — to hit hard

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