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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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. mark — a grade
  4. last — final
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. last — finally
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. degree — temperature
  11. last — to go on
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — a permit
  15. perch — the fish
  16. staff — employees
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. tube — a container
  19. season — of the year
  20. tube — the underground
  21. degree — from a university
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. season — in sport

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