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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. cue — a signal
  4. bulb — for light
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. degree — from a university
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pit — a hole
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. degree — temperature
  20. pit — in a race
  21. cue — for pool
  22. row — to paddle
  23. foot — a measure
  24. degree — an amount

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