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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. degree — temperature
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mate — a partner
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. degree — from a university
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a friend
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. deal — to handle
  17. march — music
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. degree — an amount
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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