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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. squash — to crush
  3. chest — a box
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. degree — temperature
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. face — to confront
  8. season — of the year
  9. chest — of your body
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. chest — of your body
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — part of the head
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. season — in sport
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — an amount
  24. squash — the sport

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