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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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Word bank
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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rock — music
  5. perch — the fish
  6. rock — a stone
  7. degree — from a university
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. fall — the season
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bear — the animal
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. degree — temperature
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. snap — to click
  24. bat — 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