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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. season — in sport
  3. branch — a division
  4. drill — the tool
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. track — a song
  7. drill — army training
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — the fish
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. drill — a practice
  20. degree — an amount
  21. track — to keep track
  22. degree — from a university
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. track — a path

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