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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 120 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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. perch — the fish
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. rock — a stone
  8. stand — to bear
  9. rash — hasty
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. degree — an amount
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — from a university
  17. object — to protest
  18. object — a thing
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rock — music
  21. rash — a series
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. object — an aim

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