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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. perch — the fish
  3. mug — a face
  4. degree — an amount
  5. fork — in a road
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. degree — temperature
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a song
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. track — a path
  16. mug — to rob
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. mug — a cup

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