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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. rash — hasty
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. degree — from a university
  7. rock — a stone
  8. march — music
  9. degree — temperature
  10. fine — all right
  11. rash — a series
  12. mine — for digging
  13. rock — music
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. perch — the fish
  16. degree — an amount
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bear — the animal
  21. march — the month
  22. bear — the animal
  23. fine — high quality
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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