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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pit — a hole
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. season — in sport
  6. tear — to rip
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bass — the fish
  11. perch — the fish
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bass — low music
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. cap — of ice
  20. degree — temperature
  21. season — of the year
  22. degree — an amount
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. tear — from crying

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