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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. squash — the sport
  3. degree — an amount
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. firm — decided
  6. degree — from a university
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. wake — a trail
  9. squash — to crush
  10. charge — a price
  11. charge — electricity
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. chest — of your body
  15. charge — in control
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. chest — a box
  18. perch — the fish
  19. chest — of your body
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. firm — a company
  22. firm — steady
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. perch — for a bird

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