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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 124 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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. degree — from a university
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. lie — to recline
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. perch — the fish
  8. rash — hasty
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. season — in sport
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. season — of the year
  15. pass — a permit
  16. degree — an amount
  17. ball — a great time
  18. degree — temperature
  19. rash — a series
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. ball — a dance
  24. lie — an untruth

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