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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a cup
  5. degree — temperature
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. band — a ring
  11. degree — an amount
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. band — a music group
  14. cell — in biology
  15. perch — the fish
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. degree — from a university
  19. ball — a great time
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mug — a face
  24. cell — a phone

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