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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. court — of law
  3. board — a committee
  4. perch — the fish
  5. rush — hurry
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. degree — temperature
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. board — to get on
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. court — for sport
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. court — of a king
  21. degree — an amount
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. degree — from a university
  24. calf — a young animal

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