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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. face — to point toward
  3. sharp — clever
  4. craft — boats
  5. perch — the fish
  6. craft — a skill
  7. season — in sport
  8. object — an aim
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. object — to protest
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. degree — an amount
  15. object — a thing
  16. mark — a grade
  17. degree — from a university
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. face — part of the head
  20. degree — temperature
  21. face — to confront
  22. mark — a trace
  23. season — of the year
  24. mark — to pay attention

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