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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. row — to paddle
  5. club — a group
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. kid — to tease
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. degree — an amount
  14. club — for dancing
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. degree — temperature
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. perch — the fish
  19. ball — a dance
  20. club — for golf
  21. degree — from a university
  22. ball — a great time
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. kid — child

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