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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bound — certain
  3. spell — magic
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. march — the month
  8. vault — a safe
  9. perch — the fish
  10. march — music
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — temperature
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — in sport
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bound — obliged
  18. season — of the year
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. march — the month
  21. spell — letters
  22. bound — tied together
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. spell — a short time

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