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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. staff — employees
  3. march — the month
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. march — music
  6. staff — a stick
  7. perch — the fish
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — an amount
  10. face — part of the head
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. mark — a trace
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — to point toward
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. march — the month
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. degree — temperature
  21. staff — employees
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. kick — in football
  24. 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