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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — a trace
  4. bear — the animal
  5. perch — the fish
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. degree — from a university
  9. stand — to bear
  10. pop — music
  11. degree — an amount
  12. pop — to visit
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bear — the animal
  16. swing — to play on
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pop — soda
  19. swing — in golf
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chip — to eat
  22. swing — music
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. stand — for spectators

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