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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. swing — to play on
  3. degree — temperature
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. degree — an amount
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. perch — the fish
  9. degree — from a university
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. face — to point toward
  13. content — happy
  14. swing — music
  15. staff — employees
  16. face — to confront
  17. staff — a stick
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. swing — in golf
  21. staff — employees
  22. face — part of the head
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. perch — for a bird

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