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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  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. pit — in a race
  2. degree — temperature
  3. season — in sport
  4. mate — a friend
  5. perch — the fish
  6. mate — a partner
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. march — the month
  10. court — of law
  11. march — the month
  12. court — for sport
  13. capital — a city
  14. degree — an amount
  15. season — of the year
  16. degree — from a university
  17. court — of a king
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. capital — money
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. march — music
  23. mate — to breed
  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