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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. current — electric
  4. degree — from a university
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. current — happening now
  7. degree — temperature
  8. current — of water
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. mark — a grade
  11. perch — the fish
  12. bat — the animal
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. cue — a hint
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. cue — for pool
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. cue — a signal
  19. degree — an amount
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — in sport
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. mark — a trace

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