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

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. degree — an amount
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. perch — the fish
  7. degree — from a university
  8. track — a song
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pound — a weight
  11. dip — to sink
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. track — to keep track
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. vault — a safe
  16. track — a path
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. perch — for a bird

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