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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. perch — the fish
  3. degree — from a university
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — low music
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bear — the animal
  12. saw — the tool
  13. hand — in cards
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bass — the fish
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. hand — help
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. jam — in traffic

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