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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. can — a tin
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. ground — a position
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — hurry
  9. degree — from a university
  10. can — a tin
  11. date — the fruit
  12. ground — crushed
  13. can — to be able to
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. degree — temperature
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. perch — the fish
  20. ground — the earth
  21. degree — an amount
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. perch — for a bird

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