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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. degree — from a university
  3. march — the month
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. mug — a face
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. degree — an amount
  9. file — a document
  10. track — to keep track
  11. board — a committee
  12. march — the month
  13. mug — a cup
  14. track — a song
  15. file — a tool
  16. degree — temperature
  17. mug — to rob
  18. perch — the fish
  19. file — a line of people
  20. board — to get on
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. march — music
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. track — a path

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