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

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mate — a friend
  4. fine — all right
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. degree — from a university
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mate — to breed
  11. fine — high quality
  12. scale — size or range
  13. perch — the fish
  14. degree — an amount
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. degree — temperature
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. scale — in music
  20. mate — a partner
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. wave — with your hand

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