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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. perch — the fish
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — from a university
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. plane — a tool
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. firm — decided
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — the tool
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a list
  18. firm — steady
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. firm — a company
  21. drill — army training
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. mouse — the animal

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