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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. degree — an amount
  3. scale — size or range
  4. degree — temperature
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. squash — the sport
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. pop — to visit
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. squash — to crush
  14. deal — to handle
  15. chair — a leader
  16. scale — in music
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. degree — from a university
  22. bore — to tire
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — music

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