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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 120 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. craft — boats
  4. scale — in music
  5. craft — a skill
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. degree — an amount
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. pass — a permit
  18. degree — temperature
  19. perch — the fish
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. scale — size or range

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