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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. degree — temperature
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. degree — an amount
  6. rock — a stone
  7. degree — from a university
  8. rock — music
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. tear — from crying
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. ball — a great time
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. scale — in music
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. scale — size or range
  21. tear — from crying
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. tear — to rip
  24. perch — the fish

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