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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 116 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. degree — temperature
  3. perch — the fish
  4. cold — not warm
  5. degree — from a university
  6. game — wild animals
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. charge — electricity
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cold — an illness
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. degree — an amount
  17. charge — in control
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. charge — a price
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. cabinet — ministers

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