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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. degree — from a university
  7. ball — a dance
  8. spell — a short time
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — letters
  12. lean — thin
  13. ball — a great time
  14. toast — bread
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bear — the animal
  18. degree — an amount
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — clever
  21. lean — to bend
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. bear — the animal
  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