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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. kick — in football
  3. spell — a short time
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. present — the time now
  6. fine — high quality
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. field — a subject
  9. perch — the fish
  10. present — there
  11. spell — letters
  12. degree — temperature
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. degree — an amount
  16. field — farmland
  17. spell — magic
  18. fine — all right
  19. field — for sport
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. degree — from a university
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. fine — a penalty

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