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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. row — to paddle
  4. mate — a friend
  5. degree — from a university
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. row — a line
  11. game — wild animals
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. key — in music
  14. bark — to shout
  15. game — a match
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. mate — a partner
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. key — the most important part
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. degree — an amount
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. key — for a lock

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