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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 116 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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. degree — an amount
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. can — a tin
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. court — of a king
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. court — of law
  12. perch — the fish
  13. pop — music
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. lie — to recline
  16. can — to be able to
  17. pop — to visit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. court — for sport
  20. pop — soda
  21. degree — from a university
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. degree — temperature
  24. can — a tin

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