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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 116 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 second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. degree — an amount
  3. perch — the fish
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. degree — from a university
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — low music
  11. capital — a city
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. degree — temperature
  14. fall — to drop
  15. season — in sport
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. season — of the year
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. fall — the season
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bass — the fish
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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