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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pound — a weight
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. track — a song
  8. perch — the fish
  9. track — to keep track
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. toast — bread
  12. capital — a city
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. vault — a safe
  16. capital — money
  17. deal — to handle
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — temperature
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. capital — a big letter

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