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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. season — of the year
  6. stand — to bear
  7. degree — temperature
  8. rest — a break
  9. degree — an amount
  10. rest — what's left
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. mate — to breed
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — in sport
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. mate — a friend
  18. bat — the animal
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. rest — what's left
  23. perch — the fish
  24. stand — for spectators

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