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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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468
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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. degree — from a university
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. tear — from crying
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. degree — temperature
  10. tear — to rip
  11. squash — to crush
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. craft — boats
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. court — of a king
  17. pass — a permit
  18. perch — the fish
  19. court — of law
  20. craft — a skill
  21. squash — the sport
  22. court — for sport
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. degree — an amount

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