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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. ground — the earth
  3. perch — the fish
  4. wake — a trail
  5. degree — an amount
  6. band — a music group
  7. ground — crushed
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. degree — temperature
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. band — a ring
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. ground — a position

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