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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — to recline
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — in sport
  12. chair — a leader
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitch — completely
  20. degree — an amount
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. degree — from a university
  23. perch — the fish
  24. wax — to grow

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