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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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. nail — on a finger
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. degree — from a university
  7. date — the fruit
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. firm — decided
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. degree — an amount
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. degree — temperature
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. firm — a company
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. firm — steady
  23. snap — to click
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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