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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. degree — temperature
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. perch — the fish
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — in golf
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bat — the animal
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. swing — music
  15. rock — a stone
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. press — to push
  18. spring — of water
  19. degree — from a university
  20. rock — music
  21. press — newspapers
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. degree — an amount
  24. spring — the season

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