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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. season — in sport
  5. degree — from a university
  6. rule — government
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. season — of the year
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. degree — temperature
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. scale — size or range
  13. perch — the fish
  14. rash — a series
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. degree — an amount
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. rash — hasty
  19. pit — in a race
  20. date — the fruit
  21. pit — a hole
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. rule — a law
  24. scale — in music

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