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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 116 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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. court — for sport
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. deal — to handle
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bound — tied together
  11. court — of law
  12. degree — an amount
  13. saw — the tool
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. court — of a king
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. perch — the fish
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — obliged
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. leaves — lets stay

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