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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. pass — a permit
  4. degree — from a university
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. current — of water
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. key — in music
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bore — to drill
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. key — for a lock
  15. current — electric
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. degree — temperature
  18. ball — a great time
  19. key — the most important part
  20. ball — a dance
  21. current — happening now
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bore — to tire

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