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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. degree — temperature
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. degree — an amount
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. track — a path
  8. track — to keep track
  9. race — the arms race
  10. track — a song
  11. mug — a face
  12. degree — from a university
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. mug — to rob
  15. race — humankind
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. mug — a cup
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. fork — in a road
  24. race — a contest

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