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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. degree — an amount
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. ball — a dance
  8. degree — temperature
  9. net — in sport
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. degree — from a university
  12. perch — the fish
  13. net — after costs
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. net — for catching
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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