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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. suit — clothes
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. perch — the fish
  5. wax — to grow
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. bass — the fish
  8. cold — not warm
  9. degree — from a university
  10. suit — in cards
  11. bass — low music
  12. season — in sport
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pitch — completely
  15. degree — temperature
  16. suit — to fit
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. degree — an amount
  24. perch — for a bird

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