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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. perch — the fish
  3. pop — to visit
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a hole
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. wax — to grow
  11. pop — music
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. capital — a city
  17. pop — soda
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. degree — an amount
  22. capital — money
  23. degree — temperature
  24. ruler — for measuring

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